


Heirs to the Skies Above

by introspearone



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Character Death, Enemies to Friends, Fae & Fairies, Found Family, Full A/N Inside, Full TW and CW Lists Inside, Gods, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Korean Mythology, Magic, No Romance, Pirates, Religion, Royalty, Saints, Some Fluff, Some Humor, Spirits, Violence, cursing, nature spirits, updates every Friday
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28620582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/introspearone/pseuds/introspearone
Summary: A web of lies and trickery, the gods that created it, and the eight boys who never wanted to save the world, only each other:A king robbed of his throne.A half-god close to death.A spirit with a lost cause.A knight on the run.A priest of a lost race.A pirate on an endless search.A prince left behind.A faerie with strange magic.They aren't good, they aren't heroes, but they certainly aren't going to let themselves become the pawns of a game that started over twenty years ago; they're just boys who are sick of the world taking from them. It's time to stand up and take back.
Comments: 33
Kudos: 35





	1. Two Princes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, welcome! Thank you for being here!
> 
> To begin, I'd like to go ahead and post my full A/N and disclaimer regarding this fic along with the full TW and CW lists:
> 
> This is, of course, a work of fiction. I am using Korean history and mythology as a base for the plot, world structure, and character structure/development and have taken great liberties in how it is interpreted and used. By no means is any information pertaining to either of these topics completely accurate and, by no means or intentions is the use of these topics meant to be disrespectful or harmful in any way, they are being used as plot constructs and nothing more. Concerning Korean mythology, there are many different stories and tales that vary from time period to time period and region to region. For the sake of my sanity, I have been picking and choosing specifically which Korean gods and goddesses (along with what stories and tales) that will be used as lore in this fic. Be mindful that it will not even come close to covering all of Korean mythology. Like I said, this is a work of fiction, please interpret the world and characters I have created (based on these topics) as concerned with this fic only and not in any other context. Thank you!
> 
> TW:  
> Death  
> Suicide  
> Blood  
> Violence  
> Racism (within fic context)  
> Racial persecution (within fic context)  
> Religious persecution (within fic context)  
> Mentions of war (within fic context)
> 
> CW:  
> Cursing  
> Piracy  
> Bad parenting
> 
> I will edit this list as I need to and will post TWs as they pertain to each chapter, but CWs will stand throughout the fic. If you read this fic and believe that I should add/move any TWs or CWs, please feel free to comment below, message me on Twitter [@introspearone](https://twitter.com/introspearone), or if you prefer anonymity my Curious Cat is linked on my pinned. Feel free to follow me on Twitter where I cry daily about how much I love Changbin and Jisung but also sometimes talk about writing this fic there too. RTs on fic chapter posts are greatly appreciated and will also be under my pinned. 
> 
> And finally, I would like to thank my lovely beta readers! This fic would not exist without them, they are amazing, so thank you to Ree, Beck, and Vai! You can follow Ree on Twitter here [@mizukoree](https://twitter.com/mizukoree) and here [@bottle_o_moon](https://twitter.com/bottle_o_moon) and you can check out her AO3 [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bottle_o_moon/pseuds/bottle_o_moon)! You can follow Beck on Twitter here [@ddeonghwaa](https://twitter.com/ddeonghwaa) and you can check her out on AO3 [here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymumbling)! And Vai is just mysterious :) 
> 
> One final thank you for reading, see you next Friday! Enjoy!
> 
> TW // Mentions of Death , Violence , Reference to war , Implied racism

Hyunjin startled awake, his leg stinging from where his twin had just kicked him out of sleep. He half-turned towards Seungmin, grinning sheepishly before shifting in his seat in a poor attempt to try and pay attention to the council meeting. He could feel his brother’s eyes roll; they both knew he would be dozing again in a matter of minutes.

“-with the addition of new mills on the eastern outskirts of Shinshi, the production of flour has greatly-“ Lord Joonhyung’s voice droned on and Hyunjin felt his eyes grow heavy again.

* * *

He was awoken again by Seungmin jabbing his side with a book, “Come on, meeting’s over. You slept through it.”

He stood, stretching, before following his twin out of the council meeting room. They were the last to leave and judging by the long shadows being cast over the floor by the setting suns, Seungmin had likely tried to wait as long as his patience allowed for Hyunjin to wake on his own.

“Did I miss anything important?” He yawned, stepping into the long hallway, knowing that he probably didn’t and that he wasn’t the only one that occasionally fell asleep during council meetings. At least he didn’t snore like some of the older nobility.

“Yes, all the lords and ladies voted and agreed that I’m next in line to be king.” He replied drily.

Hyunjin blinked, the sarcasm lost in his still sleepy stupor, “Really? Congratulations. You’ll be a great king.”

“No they didn’t, you imbecile.” Seungmin sighed.

Hyunjin yawned again, “Then they should.”

He could feel his brother rolling his eyes for probably the hundredth time in that last hour, “Everyone knows you’re going to be the next king.” He scoffed.

Hyunjin shook his head. He didn’t pay attention to court gossip if he didn’t have to, neither of them did if they could help it, but lately it seemed as though even the walls were whispering their guesses as to who would be the next king. “And everyone knows you’d be a better king.” He replied, moving closer to wrap an arm around his twin.

“Then tell that to everyone.” Seungmin shot back, trying unsuccessfully to pull out of his reach.

“Then I will at the next council meeting.”

“If you stay awake, that is.”

“I’ll stay awake,” He promised with a smile.

“You’d better,” Seungmin warned, pointing at him dangerously with his book as they turned a corner, “Because I’m finally getting to propose my alliance with the Silla Kingdom to the rest of the council and I may need you to back me up.”

Hyunjin blinked, diplomacy not his exact domain of expertise but Seungmin had been prodding their kingdom towards finding some form of peace with the faeries of the southern continent for months now so he nodded. He knew their kingdoms weren’t the same bitter enemies they were in the past, but they weren’t exactly on speaking terms, much less allies.

His brother shook his head at him as if sensing his thoughts, “I’ll tell you everything you need to say so don’t give me that look.”

“What look?” He asked innocently, even as he felt Seungmin’s levels of irritation rising.

“That look where-“

“Your Highnesses!”

Hyunjin dropped his arm and they both immediately straightened at the new voice. Seungmin quickly tucked his book underneath his arm as Hyunjin squared his shoulders, decidedly much more alert now that it wasn’t just him and his twin anymore.

“Lord Juwon,” Hyunjin greeted smoothly, bowing politely, Seungmin following his lead, “Can we help you?”

“Prince Hyunjin, Prince Seungmin.” The older man bowing fervently in turn to each of them, his words rushed. “I was sent to let you know that there’s to be an important meeting with several lords and ladies this evening in the eastern gardens and we would like to invite you to join us there after sunset.”

The lie grated in Hyunjin’s ears uncomfortably as warning signals flashed in his mind. For as long as he could remember, no one had been able to lie to him or his twin. There was no amount of trickery or deceit could get past either of them, not even from each other, but he smiled anyway.

“Thank you, we’ll do our best to be there.” He replied smoothly with his own lie and he bowed again as Junseo beamed and scampered off, likely to tell whoever he was reporting to about his apparent success.

“So, surprise party or assassination attempt?” Seungmin muttered once they were out of earshot, the lie unsuccessful for them both, as they always were.

“They could be creative for once and try both.” Hyunjin snorted. Jeon Juwon's lying skills needed great assistance, but he was sure he would have caught the lie under any circumstance. The fact that it was a lord passing the message to them was proof enough; an apparent rule of the higher nobility was to not do what a servant could do for you.

“In any case,” he continued as they wandered in the direction of their chambers, “I don’t think I will attend.”

“How very wise of you, brother.”

He moved closer to Seungmin to nudge his side playfully, even as he could practically feel his twin’s annoyance with him spike again, “And I highly suggest you not attend either.”

“Thank you,” he rolled his eyes again, “Where would I be without you?”

“On the throne.” Hyunjin replied with false grandeur, waving of Seungmin’s sharp glare. “The greatest king the Koguryeo Kingdom has seen and will ever see, the descendent of the heavenly god Hwanung, the founder of our great capital, Shinshi, the City of the Gods-“

“Shut up.” He hissed, “We’re not even of age yet. Neither of us would be able to take the throne at nineteen.”

“We’re almost twenty.” He shot back before stopping with a frown. “Do you really not want to be king?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know!” Seungmin threw his hands up in frustration, his book nearly falling from his grasps, “Our lives would be easier if we just knew which one of us it would be. Then he could devote himself to becoming the best king he could be and the other could, I don’t know, figure out for himself what he wanted to be instead of wandering around aimlessly without any direction in life!”

Hyunjin paused, chewing on his lower lip, knowing his twin was right. Of course he was right, he usually was. If he didn’t become king, then who was he going to be? Just a prince forever? Left behind in his brother’s shadow? Did he have a choice? He shook his head to clear his mind. It wouldn’t help him to stay lost in the uncertainties, that he knew.

“Hey,” he called softly, grabbing Seungmin’s arm to stop him, “It’s alright. We’ll figure it out but now’s not the best time to worry. Besides,” he went on, trying to keep his tone light, “You’re supposed to be telling me what you want me to say at the next council meeting and then I need to go to bed so I can stay awake at said meeting.” He saw his twin’s shoulders relax and he felt a weight he didn’t know he was carrying lift off his chest. Balance, he reminded himself silently, they were balance, two of a kind, each other’s better halves but of the same whole. As soon as one was spinning off kilter, it was up to the other to steady him.

“Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t let my frustrations get the better of me.” Seungmin murmured, the fight leaving him as he turned to open the door to his chambers as Hyunjin opened his own door across the hall, “Let me grab my notes and I’ll come to your room so we can go over them.”

Hyunjin turned, trying to hide his grimace at the long night ahead of him, “Sure. The door will be unlocked.” For him, it always was.

He closed the door behind him with a sigh and stepped further into his bedroom, running a hand through his black hair, tugging lightly at the ends with a slight frown. He stopped in front of the vanity mirror before gathering the ends into a short tail at the nape of his neck, turning his head side to side to see better. He smiled at his reflection before letting his hands fall and shaking his hair back out.

He slowly circled the room, tidying it a bit before Seungmin arrived so his twin wouldn’t scold him. Knives were returned to drawers except for one that stayed permanently on the bedside table, the small pile of clothes that had been abandoned in the small chair in the corner was thrown into the bottom of his wardrobe with the promise they would be uncovered at a later day, before he made another round through the room to light a few lanterns as the last rays of daylight shone through the windows.

Hyunjin didn’t have to turn to know his twin had soundlessly stepped into his chambers and closed the door behind him. “You were quick.” He called over his shoulder as he finished lighting the last lantern.

Seungmin made his way further into his room with a small sheaf of papers in his hands like they were a weapon. “I could have been an assassin you just welcomed in.” He commented offhandedly, pulling himself up onto Hyunjin’s bed and crossing his legs comfortably.

Hyunjin hummed slightly in response before saying, “You could be an assassin and my twin at the same time.”

“Oh please, if I wanted to kill you, I’d be much more subtle about it.” And Hyunjin didn’t doubt it, he knew his brother was smart enough to plan a successful assassination and not get caught and if it was anyone but Seungmin he was with, Hyunjin might have been more wary.

“Because you couldn’t best me in a fight?” He offered, climbing onto the bed next to him.

“Exactly. If it came to that, I would send someone else to fight you.”

“And do you think _they_ could best me in a fight?” Hyunjin questioned, eyes glinting playfully. He was more than confident in his fighting prowess, with or without a weapon.

“You never know until you try.” He replied, “But I won’t ever try so don’t worry. Besides, if I were to try, it wouldn’t even be a direct confrontation. I told you, I would be subtle.”

He regarded Seungmin carefully, beginning to not enjoy the direction this conversation was taking itself, “Please stop imagining all the ways you would kill me.”

“And if I’m imagining all of the ways I _wouldn’t_ kill you?”

“I know you are. Stop that too.”

“A discussion for another day, then.” Seungmin sighed, smiling softly, “So then you’ll have time to plan all the ways you can avoid dying.”

“Can we please get back on topic?” Hyunjin pleaded in mock distress, flinging himself down onto the bed, resting his head on Seungmin’s lap as if they weren’t just discussing each other’s potential deaths.

He felt Seungmin shift and straighten, seriousness etching itself easily into him, “Tell me why we don’t have any form of cooperation between the Koguryeo Kingdom and the Silla Kingdom and really, why we don’t have any relationships with humans and faeries at all.”

Hyunjin blinked, unprepared for the rapid questioning, “Because our kingdoms were at war?”

“Yes,” Seungmin nodded almost impatiently, “That’s true, but then that begs the questions of why the war started and how it ended. The war started over twenty years ago but there’s nearly zero documentation on it other than mentions of our win, one that wasn’t even achieved through a final battle. The two kingdoms sign a treaty to end the war and suddenly we’re expected to forget it all happened.”

“And that bothers you.” It wasn’t a question, Hyunjin knew Seungmin hated when he was left in the dark. He could almost feel his thoughts on the edge of his consciousness, “Because you don’t think anyone would participate in a war without a reason and you never found the treaty, did you?”

“Not a single document.” He confirmed, “I couldn’t even find out who was present for the treaty signing.”

Hyunjin nodded slowly, thinking out loud, “The war ended right after we were born, so about twenty years ago. We could try and find out what lords and ladies still in the castle were in power back then and ask them if they know anything?” He suggested.

Seungmin shook his head, “I tried that already, no one knows a thing.”

They were silent for a long time after, the weight of their conversation heavy. Hyunjin finally broke the silence, “We could ask Father once he’s home.” He offered. The king had been away for some time taking a tour of the eastern coast but was expected home soon.

His brother seemed to pause, head tilted to the side in thought, “We could. Surely he would know.” Their father had been ruling for a long time now, he had seen the every part of the war, the bloody beginning, the deadly front lines of battle, and without a doubt, the treaty that ended it all.

Hyunjin nodded before gesturing to Seungmin’s papers, “You haven’t told me your proposal yet.”

“Right.” Seungmin said, leafing through the stack, “I first considered using trade between our kingdoms as the base, which is still a viable option, you know they have to have stores of knowledge on the natural world and magic that we don’t know.”

“Theoretically, humans are incapable of using magic.” Hyunjin pointed out.

“But that’s just a theory.” Seungmin shot back, “But that’s also not what I wanted to focus on. Yes, we could try and open trade between us and them, but I realized we have no idea what they could possibly want from us that we could trade them.”

“Slow down, you’re all over the place.”

His brother sighed, tossing the papers onto the bed next to them, “Diplomacy. I’m going to propose that we open lines of communication between us and the Silla Kingdom as a start. I’m not stupid enough to try for anything further than that for now.”

Hyunjin nodded. He agreed with him, their kingdoms had had a stilted, silent relationship for far too long, and perhaps he thought this way because he didn’t know why they had fought in the first place, or even why it ended, and the only person that might know why was nowhere nearby. “Tell me your plan.” He said, “What do you need me to do?”

They spent the next few hours going over the details of Seungmin’s alliance proposal, his brother telling him his overall plan and process and how he wanted Hyunjin to assist him. They both knew if they put on a united front, they had a higher chance of convincing the entirety of the court. It wasn’t difficult by any means for them to stand by each other’s sides, but as the rumors of who would be the next king arose and gained momentum, the court itself had begun to splinter and take sides. If they could work together and unite the lords and ladies, not only could they get the proposal set into action, but hopefully it would also put the whispers to rest for some time.

Night had fallen by the time Seungmin had finally tossed his papers one last time onto the small bedside table next to Hyunjin’s knife. They had changed positions some time earlier so that they were laying side by side, one of Hyunjin’s ankles crossed over Seungmin’s at the foot of the bed. Silver light from the moons and stars shone through the windows as the lanterns flickered, the sight and silence pulling at Hyunjin’s eyes as he fought to stay awake for just a little while longer.

He yawned, dangerously close to sleep, “Just stay here for the night.” He murmured sleepily and he felt Seungmin nod wordlessly beside him, likely too tired to argue against his brother.  
Hyunjin managed to roll off the bed with as much grace as he was able before he circled the room one last time to blow out the candles in the lanterns, lock the only door to his chambers, and draw the window curtains closed, before crawling back into his bed. Neither bothered to move to change clothes or properly prepare to sleep and it made Hyunjin smile slightly, knowing Seungmin will likely complain in the morning for having skipped whatever his nightly routine was. “Goodnight.” He murmured, finally relaxing. They didn’t even bother to climb under the blankets, both seemingly content to find warmth by laying close to one another, their fingers intertwined loosely between them.

“Goodnight, Jinnie-ah” Seungmin whispered into the darkness.

* * *

“That’s enough for today,” called Lady Yeonha, “Please return your swords to the armory.”

Hyunjin carefully lowered his sword, sweating and breathing heavily along with several other young noble men and women. They were likely thankful practice was over for the day, eager to escape the heat radiating from the midday suns. He watched them all slowly file out, waving to Seungmin as he left, until it was only him and the kingdom’s Weapons Master left in the castle’s practice yard.

“Your Highness,” she nodded towards him, “Is there something I can help you with?”

He bowed, sword grasped at his side, “I’d like to stay and practice by myself a little while longer if you don’t mind, my lady.”

She frowned slightly, gesturing towards the weapon in his hand, “Your preferred weapon is the sword, Your Highness?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Then can you tell me how you plan to use your sword in the future, Your Highness?”

He held himself a little taller, “To protect the Koguryeo Kingdom and its people, my lady.” No one had to tell him that it was his duty to protect the name and people of his kingdom, no matter if he was the prince, became the king, or was anyone else. It was why he trained so hard with any weapon he could find, so he would be prepared for anything.

“And would you kill someone in order to achieve that goal, Your Highness?”

A beat passed before he nodded, “If that is what it takes, then yes, my lady, I would kill to protect my kingdom.” He knew he would and some part of him knew he wouldn’t regret the blood on his hands if it meant the people he cared about were safe.

The Weapons Master tilted her head up slightly as if she were observing him before nodding once, apparently satisfied with his answer. “Be sure to return your sword to the armory before you leave.”

He opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by someone rushing through the entrance to the practice yard.

“I’m sorry I’m late!”

Hyunjin bit his lip to hide his smile as he bowed to his cousin, “Hello, Daeseong.”

Daeseong bowed hastily to them both, sword held clumsily in his hands, “Your Highness, my lady, my apologies again.”

Yeonha clicked her once tongue in disapproval at his lateness, “Not only are you late, you have missed the lesson entirely.”

“I can stay and assist him, my lady.” Hyunjin interjected quickly, hoping to avoid the oncoming lecture even though it wasn’t directed at him. He had been scolded by her enough for a lifetime.

She frowned again and Hyunjin knew she was all too aware that he was trying to cover for his cousin but decided to indulge the prince, “Very well, Your Highness, if you insist. I must be leaving anyway. Good day to you both.” The bowed to one another and she turned to leave.

She turned slightly to face them at the threshold of the castle entrance, making direct eye contact with Hyunjin over her shoulder, “An extra lesson for you, Your Highness: never forget what and who you’re fighting for.”

Hyunjin nodded slowly to himself, committing the words to memory. He had trained under Lady Yeonha’s watchful eye since he was a child and knew she was a woman of few words, preferring to settle the disputes among young lords and ladies with dulled practice swords. He learned very quickly to hold onto any advice she gave whether or not it was about a weapon.

His cousin’s voice brought him back to the present, “I suppose I should be groveling at your feet in gratitude right about now, Your Highness?” Daeseong inquired, grinning widely.

“Yes, please do, cousin.” Hyunjin replied, wondering briefly if Seungmin’s sarcasm had finally rubbed off on him.

“Perhaps after you show me what I missed in today’s lesson, then.” Daeseong promised as he held up his sword loosely with one hand.

Hyunjin rolled his eyes, “I will as soon as you learn hold your sword properly. It’s two-handed,” he explained, demonstrating with his own sword, “Put one hand right below the guard, the other under the pommel. Better, but hold the blade up higher, like this.” He said, “Good. Have you ever trained with a two-handed sword?”

Daeseong huffed good-naturedly, “If I had, you wouldn’t be correcting me, Your Highness.”

He felt a soft hum in the back of his mind; it was a half lie but he decided to ignore it for now. “You can drop the title, you know.”

“You won’t behead me for it, Hyunjin-ah?”

Hyunjin grinned at his cousin’s joke; Daeseong was only a few months older than he was and had the same easy-going nature he always had. It was refreshing compared to the forced politeness he experienced with the other nobility, “Careful,” he warned, shifting to an offensive stance “I just might if you don’t listen to me.”

Without warning, he swung his blade in an overhand arch, his cousin lifting his own sword higher to block it easily. The dulled edges clanged loudly before sliding down and against one another until they were locked at the guard.

Hyunjin grinned, pushing against Daeseong’s blade. The way he held his sword, his balance, his stance, was enough to disprove his earlier lie as he pushed back against Hyunjin, both actively trying to overpower each other.

Hyunjin broke free first, side stepping and holding his blade low, the tip nearly brushing the ground. He didn’t waste any time, aiming an upward blow at his cousin’s torso. Daeseong surprised him by charging forward, narrowly dodging his attack, and countering with his own overhanded swing in one smooth motion.  
Instinctively, he brought his sword up to deflect the blow, angling it and pushing hard enough to send Daeseong’s blade over his head leaving him unguarded and with Hyunjin’s own blade now at his neck. They froze.

“Liar.” Hyunjin grinned victoriously, lowering his weapon and stepping back.

Daeseong smiled sheepishly, “Alright, you got me: I may or may not have experimented with two-handed swords at some point. I don’t think I’ll ever be as talented as you with any weapon, but I believe I could hold my own if needed.”

Hyunjin nodded, Daeseong was more than a competent fighter, so instead he found himself asking, “What made you so late today?”

He brushed him off casually, sitting back on his heels “Just lost track of time, I guess.”

Hyunjin frowned, the same hum in his mind telling him his cousin was lying but he tried to hide it. He knew Daeseong likely had his reasons for lying but he couldn’t help but see his cousin’s own frown and the way his brow was slightly creased as if he was worried. He could tell the lie wasn’t intended to harm him if the feeling in his mind was any indicator, so he forced himself to smile, “Then perhaps I should get you a clock for the Two Moons Festival so you never lose track of time?”

Daeseong laughed at that, “Shouldn’t it be me getting you a gift? The Two Moons Festival falls on your birthday, doesn’t it?”

His smile grew more genuine and he nodded. The kingdom had been abuzz with the preparations for his and his twin’s birthday, but also for the Two Moons Festival, when both moons would reach fullness at the same time. It always happened a few times a year, but the fact that it landed on the day the Koguryeo Kingdom’s twin princes would turn twenty and become of age seemed to make it even more important. He and Seungmin had been told countless times in the past few weeks how this must be a sign that they were blessed by the moon goddess Dallim.

“Don’t worry about a gift,” Hyunjin said, waving him off, “Just be on time to Lady Yeonha’s practices so I don’t have to cover for you.”

Daeseong seemed to pout, “What? You wouldn’t cover for me again? I thought we were close, Hyunjinnie-ah.” He moved closer, doing his best to look pitiful.

Hyunjin smothered a laugh behind his hand, carefully angling his sword away from his cousin as he came closer, “No,” he snorted, “Because then Seungmin-ah will scold the both of us.”

His cousin’s expression became thoughtful, “He was always the responsible one out of the three of us.”

“And thank the gods for it.”

Daeseong nodded before glancing up at the suns to gauge the time, “I should be going.”

Hyunjin nodded in mock seriousness, “Yes, please be on time to wherever you’re going now.” But he couldn’t help but wonder where his cousin was rushing to now.

“I will, I will. Your Highness.” He finished, bowing.

“And don’t forget to return your sword to the armory.” Hyunjin called as he left.

Once he was alone again, he made his way to the center of the practice yard, sword in hand, one hand under the guard, the other below the pommel, before stepping and slashing through drill after drill, stance after stance, until the suns began to set.

* * *

Hyunjin twisted the door knob, letting himself in. He made his way into the room, frowning at the darkness. It was pitch black, no lit lanterns, no open curtains, only the dim light streaming in from the hall that was gone as soon as he closed the door.

Something rustled beside him, a sound of movement. His ears prickled and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end in warning and he twisted, trying to find the source. There was a rush of something moving quickly through the air directly to his left, leaping towards him.

He ducked as something flew over where his head had been. Instinctively, his hand shot out, fingers wrapping around his attacker’s arm and he gripped tightly, nails digging hard into fabric and hopefully down into skin.

His assailant cried out, in surprise or pain, but Hyunjin’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Seungmin!” He cried, immediately letting go of his brother’s arm.

“Hyunjin?” He sounded as surprised as Hyunjin felt.

He turned and stumbled blindly forward until he made it to the wall, feeling along the smooth surface until he found a window and yanked back the curtains to let the moonlight stream in. It was still dark, but there was enough light that Hyunjin could see his brother’s look of bewilderment and a knife gripped in his hand.

Seungmin shook his head, his shoulders relaxing, “For gods sake, please never do that again.”

“What do you mean?” Hyunjin squeaked indignantly, “How about you never try to stab me again?” He was half proud that his brother had thought so quickly to take action against what he thought was an attacker but at the same time, he was a bit upset that the action had been taken against him who was most certainly not an attacker.

“Then could you please knock next time?”

His brother made a good point but he wasn’t done being offended, “You walked into my room last night without knocking!”

“Because you said I could! You said the door would be unlocked and it was so I let myself in!” Another good point, he did.

“Your door was unlocked too.” He countered, trying his best to catch Seungmin off guard.

He didn’t take the bait, “Yes, it was.” He replied, coolly, “And yes, I should have locked it, but can I please know why you’re here at whatever time it is? It’s practically the middle of the night.”

Hyunjin felt himself deflate and he held up a sheaf of papers for Seungmin to see, “You left your notes in my room last night.” He said, dejected.

Seungmin sighed, tossing his knife onto the bed and walking towards Hyunjin. “Thank you.” He said, as he took the papers back, “I was looking for those earlier. Thank you for bringing them to me.”

Hyunjin felt himself perk up slightly at the sincerity in his twin’s voice, “It’s nothing. I copied them down for myself so I can study them later, I didn’t think you’d mind.” It was why he had come to Seungmin’s rooms so late, he had been busy copying down his brother’s meticulous notes word for word. It had been a slow process, slower still by the aching in his fingers from gripping a sword for too long to gripping a quill for too long, but the more he knew about Seungmin’s plan, the better he could support him in front of the rest of the court later.

Seungmin smacked a hand over his forehead, exasperated, “No, I don’t mind, but can you please knock and lead with that? I know we just talked about murder last night but I really don’t want to kill you, not even by accident.”

Hyunjin snorted, “How do you murder someone accidentally?”

“By killing whatever idiot comes into your room at night without knocking.” Seungmin deadpanned and Hyunjin winced slightly.

“I will knock next time unless invited beforehand.” He intoned, face set carefully straight.

His twin sighed again before holding out his hand impatiently, “Give me your hand.” He demanded at Hyunjin’s confused blinking.

He obeyed, still not quite sure what Seungmin was doing until his brother started carefully massaging his hand, his thumbs pressing firmly into his palm. He moved on to tugging at Hyunjin’s fingers, pulling them back and forth before rotating his entire hand at the wrist before letting go. “Other hand.” He demanded, repeating the process.

Hyunjin opened and closed his fingers, feeling much less sore than he had, “Thank you.” He murmured.

“Don’t overwork yourself next time.” Seungmin scolded.

“I won’t.” He said, doing his best to sound sincere.

“Liar.” He scoffed, catching him immediately.

He ran a hand through his hair sheepishly, “You’re working hard so I should too.”

“But that doesn’t mean you have to run yourself into the ground.” Seungmin protested, “How many days this week have you stayed out in the practice yard past sundown?”

Hyunjin didn’t answer. He could either try and lie again and get caught or he could just not admit anything.

Seungmin sighed, shoulders slumping before he stepped forward to wrap both arms around Hyunjin and he felt himself slowly relax in his twin’s embrace, the bone deep exhaustion he didn’t know he was hanging onto seeping out of him.

“Better?” Seungmin asked softly and Hyunjin nodded into his shoulder, feeling everything his brother was trying to tell him in a hug.

_Balance. Safety. Reassurance._

They didn’t let go for a long time, the moons at their peak before Hyunjin gave Seungmin one final squeeze before stepping away. “Thank you.” He whispered.

Seungmin hummed quietly, placing a hand comforting on his shoulder, “Find me next time. Don’t try to carry your burdens on your own. Come to me.”

“I won’t” And it wasn’t a lie. “You too, let me help you too.”

He nodded, glancing at the night sky, at the moons hanging above them, “It’s late.” He murmured, “Just stay here for the night.” And Hyunjin couldn’t find it in himself to say no, even if his room was only across the hall.

They worked silently to prepare to finally sleep, Seungmin lending him an extra pair of clothes to sleep in and he drew the curtains closed. Soon they were curled together in bed for the second night in a row and Hyunjin felt a sense of peace wash over him.

“Goodnight, Minnie-ah” Hyunjin whispered into the darkness.

* * *

“The king has returned!”

Hyunjin first heard the cries of the king’s arrival from the town through his open windows. He had been studying Seungmin’s notes again, trying to commit everything to memory. The council meeting was today, it was his brother’s opportunity to present his alliance proposal to the rest of the court and his father’s return meant the king of the Koguryeo Kingdom would likely be present for it as well.

He swallowed, already feeling nervous but he tried to shut those feelings away. Seungmin was counting on his support and he couldn’t let him down.

A knock sounded at his door and he glanced up, “His Majesty would like to see you, Your Highness.” A voice called.

“Please tell him I’ll be there soon.” He called back, standing from his desk and shutting his windows. Opening his wardrobe, he selected a thin silver band, nothing more than a few braided twines of silver wire, to nestle into his hair before he left, shutting the door behind him.

He wasn’t sure what his father would want him for but he wouldn’t pass the opportunity to see him. The twin princes weren’t exactly close to their father and Hyunjin knew there was likely a reason beyond a friendly greeting that the king wanted from him.

Hyunjin stepped into the sitting room where he knew his father would be waiting. He entered unannounced, footsteps silent, back straight, head held high, the perfect image of a prince.

The king was settled in a sitting chair on the far side of the well-lit room, glittering eyes regarding Hyunjin as he made his way across the room.

Hyunjin bowed deeply before his father, “Your Majesty.” He greeted before rising to his full height, “Hello, Father.”

He smiled, the warmth not quite reaching his eyes, “Hello, Hyunjin-ah. Sit down while we wait for your brother.”

Hyunjin nodded and obeyed, sitting on the low sofa at his father’s right, eyes carefully level. They sat in still silence until Seungmin entered and greeted their father, his own posture as stiff as Hyunjin’s as he sat across from him, their crowns matching.

“How have you been, my boys?” The king asked, seemingly oblivious to his sons’ discomfort. Hyunjin knew he wasn’t.

He couldn’t explain the feelings he experienced around his father. When he was with the king, he didn’t feel quite himself, it was as if he had strings attached to him limited his movement. He felt numb and trapped and seeing the near blank expression on his twin’s face, Hyunjin knew he felt the same. It was overwhelming and unfeeling all at once.

“Well enough, Father.” Seungmin mustered, hands clenched so tightly Hyunjin could see his knuckles go white.

“How are you? Was your tour enjoyable?” Hyunjin asked, his tone almost forced as his breath nearly trapped in his throat.

“Yes, the coast was quite beautiful.” He answered easily, “It’s unfortunate that it ended so soon. We were quite rushed, there were whispers of pirates in the area so we tried to not stay in one place for too long. I’ve been told you’ve both been hard at work since I’ve been gone.” He continued, glancing pointedly at them each in turn.

Hyunjin answered slowly, “I’ve been using my free time to practice with the sword, Father.”

He nodded firmly, “Good. Continue familiarizing yourself with the sword arts, they will serve you well for a long time. And you, Seungmin?” And Hyunjin winced slightly when his father’s attention turned to his brother. He knew Seungmin was already at wits end for the council meeting later and the presence of their father must be increasing the pressure on him tenfold.

Seungmin opened his mouth then closed it before opening it again as if he were struggling for the air he needed to speak.

Hyunjin felt his own chest constrict painfully and he leaned forward slightly, eyes wide and locking with Seungmin’s trying to reassure him but all he could feel was his twin’s crushing anxiety.

“Seungmin has been working hard at an alliance proposal for the Koguryeo Kingdom.” Hyunjin blurted out, hoping to steer his twin out of his fog.

It worked, Seungmin blinked quickly, “Right.” He started slowly, “I’m presenting it to the rest of the court today.”

“Oh?” Their father leaned forward, seemingly interested, but his eyes were narrowed dangerously, “Tell me more, what are you proposing?”

He could hear Seungmin swallow, “I’d like to for us to form an alliance between our kingdom and the faeries of the Silla Kingdom, Father.”

The king was silent for a moment, “And how do you suggest we do that, Seungmin-ah?”

Hyunjin recited his twin’s plan in his mind as he spoke, “My plan is to first exchange simple communication between our kingdoms.” He began, “And then, if they are willing, we could send human ambassadors as an act of good will towards them. From this, my hope is that we create and maintain a steady relationship with the Silla Kingdom.” It was a brief overview of his full plan, Hyunjin knew, the rest involved more details he had memorized about the benefits of trade between the two kingdoms along with a list of other mutual gains for both the human and faerie races.

“It’s a good plan, isn’t it, Father?” Hyunjin dared to ask, eyes flickering between his father’s icy stare and Seungmin’s nervous look and his twin’s anxieties bled into his own.

The king finally spoke, his voice low, “Dispose of this plan immediately, boy.”

Hyunjin felt his heart drop.

Seungmin sputtered, “But Father, why? Is there something wrong?”

“Forget your plans. The Koguryeo Kingdom will have nothing to do with faeries.” He spat the word out as if it were poison in his mouth.

“Father-“

“I will hear nothing else of it.” The king snapped.

“Why did we fight the faeries? What was the war for?” The words tumbled out of Hyunjin’s mouth before he could stop them, “And why did the war end all of the sudden? The treaty, Father, what was in the treaty?” He was nearly pleading.

“Silence, both of you!” He was standing now, towering over the princes and Hyunjin’s eyes widened, his throat closing up as the feeling of icy hand snaked across the inside of his head, washing over him until he felt like he was freezing from the inside out. It clawed at his mind, raking its claws against his consciousness and staying there, sinking into his thoughts, twisting and tearing. He thrashed in pain, hands raking through his hair trying to rid himself of the feeling.

“I’m sorry!” He cried in a voice that wasn’t his and he could hear Seungmin crying out as well, “Please!” He fell from his seat, collapsing onto the ground, the thin silver band slipping off onto the ground with a soft clang, his hands holding his head as if he could stop the feeling of his skull being torn apart but it was too much and his vision blurred before going black.

* * *

Hyunjin woke with a start, wincing, the remnants of a headache laced in his mind. He was laying on his own bed but wasn’t sure how he got back to his chambers. All he could remember was sitting with his father and brother but it didn’t feel right, like he was forgetting something.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, swaying on his feet for a moment before regaining his balance. The wall clock chimed softly, signaling the lateness of the evening.  
He felt his heart stop. He had missed the council meeting.

Hyunjin cursed, stumbling out of his chambers, somehow making it to Seungmin’s rooms without falling and he began banging on his door.

“Seungmin!” He yelled, “Hey, Seungmin!” But his twin didn’t answer.

He groaned in frustration, sliding down against the wall. Seungmin was likely furious with him and honestly, he was furious with himself. This was an important day for his brother and he missed it, he was supposed to be a big part of it and he didn’t even show up.

He stood abruptly and shook his head, trying to clear the storm raging in his mind but it was no use. The memories of the past few days were so mixed and tangled together he could barely sort through fact or fiction, truth or lies, where he was or what he was supposed to do.

Growling in frustration, he stalked through the castle walls aimlessly and he wasn’t surprised when his directionless walk had taken him to the outdoor practice yard. It wasn’t odd for him to come here whenever he needed to clear his head, the repetitiveness of stepping through fight sequences helping to calm his nerves and sort his thoughts. Even without a sword, he let his feet take him through the familiar moves, the rest of his body relaxing and following.

He didn’t know how long he stayed outside under the night sky, but it did nothing to help him make sense of his mind. His thoughts were still jumbled and running together in a single drawn out blur.

He flung himself to the dusty ground and faced the sky with his hands over his eyes, mouthing a silent prayer to the moon goddess Dallim. If he was as blessed by her as everyone thought he was then maybe she would answer his pleas for help.

Uncovering is eyes, he stared up into the sky to search for the two moons. One was Dallim, the other was the goddess’ servant Dalsun, but something was wrong. He frowned heavily, horror sinking into his entire body, the crushing realization hitting him.

There was only one moon in the clear night sky, only one moon rising, nearly half full. The other moon was missing, gone.


	2. The Crown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I hope everyone is doing well today!! I am back with Chapter 2! Big thank you to my beta readers Ree, Beck, and Vai as usual, you guys are amazing <33
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> TW // Implied Death , Implied Killing , Violence , Blood

The suns rose together as they always did, one after another in the day sky and Hyunjin felt the Koguryeo Kingdom breathe a sigh of relief. They were people of the moon but he knew the citizens and nobility would have been thrown further into chaos if one of the suns had disappeared as well.

He didn’t know when or how he made it back to his chambers after last night but he woke up there again, the whispers bleeding through the walls, their voices buzzing in his ears.

_What’s going on?_

_Where has the moon goddess gone?_

_Are the gods abandoning us?_

Hyunjin could see from his windows the crowds gathering around the temples in the city with even more people in the streets, likely questioning their neighbors to see if anyone knew what happened. Another crowd was gathering on the green castle yard, the place full of anxious faces.

A soft, insistent knock sounded at his door.

“Come in.” He called without turning, gaze focused on a few lords and ladies stepping from inside the castle to stand before the crowd.

“It’s locked.” Seungmin’s muffled voice replied.

Hyunjin perked up at the sound of his twin’s voice, rushing across his room to let him in but frowned when he saw him. He didn’t look bad, but he didn’t look like himself with his heavy steps and half-lidded eyes, hair messy and disheveled, barefoot and still dressed in his wrinkled night clothes.

“I slept through yesterday’s council meeting.” Seungmin admitted, brushing past Hyunjin to stand by the window.

He frowned. He had too, but his usually diligent brother seemed a bit too unbothered by his own admission, especially since he had been planning to present his alliance proposal but missed the opportunity.

“I did too,” he admitted, reaching to comb a hand through his twin’s messy hair, “Sorry for not being there for you yesterday, I know you really wanted to present your alliance proposal with the Silla Kingdom, but there’s always next time.”

Seungmin frowned, “What proposal?”

“What?” Hyunjin asked in disbelief, “You’ve been working on this for weeks, Seungmin, we studied it together, I was supposed to help you present it to the rest of the court yesterday.”

Seungmin turned to face Hyunjin fully, his brow creased, “Jin, what are you talking about?”

He opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by the swell of voices outside.

They crowded together by the window and Hyunjin frowned. The king was standing on a raised platform before the people, hands held up to quiet the mass and the noise of the crowd lulled down to a dull murmur.

Hyunjin opened the window, perching on the windowsill with Seungmin standing close by. Some people below noticed and pointed up towards them with awe, but it only made Hyunjin grimace slightly and run a self-conscious hand through his own messy hair.

“People of Shinshi!” The king called, hands still raised, “I am sorry to greet you this morning in our shared states of sadness and confusion, but I stand before you with the intention of rectifying this wrong and bringing the Koguryeo Kingdom peace once again.”

“What’s going on?” Seungmin murmured quietly, crossing his arms, “I’ve been hearing things about one of the moons missing all morning, but what is he talking about?”

Hyunjin shook his head as the king raised his voice again, “I’m sure you are all aware that during the night, only one moon rose and set. I have conferred with our city’s priests and they have confirmed that it is Lady Dallim’s attendant Dalsun still in our sky, but the moon goddess herself did not rise.”

The crowd broke out into worried murmurs at their king’s words and Hyunjin bit his lip, unable to detect any lies in his father’s words. There were too many questions and possibilities swirling in his mind.

The king’s expression was solemn as he waited for the murmurs to fade again before continuing, “We are people of the moon and our kingdom’s patron goddess has disappeared. This is of grave importance, but for now, all I ask of you, the citizens of Shinshi and people of the Koguryeo Kingdom, is to remain calm. Please, leave it to us to fix this, I and the other lords and ladies have already decided on a course of action. First, we must find a way to recover Lady Dallim and place her back in the night sky where she may watch over us, her chosen people.” His expression remained grim, “However, I have reason to suspect that our old enemies, the faeries of the Silla Kingdom, are behind the missing moon; hey have kidnapped the moon goddess.”

The lie hit Hyunjin so hard he nearly fell from the windowsill.

He caught himself with a breathless gasp, hand braced on the edge of the window, the lie still swimming in his ears as pain laced through his mind at the pure magnitude of falsity. Seungmin fared no better, his legs giving out underneath him and he fell to his knees, head in his hands as if he were trying to block out the lie.

“Why?” Seungmin rasped, “Why would he lie? Who is he trying to hurt?” Because they could both feel it, the malicious intent behind their father’s lie, the way the lie was meant to hurt someone the way it hurt them.

Hyunjin slid down to the ground next to his twin, pulling him close and they sat huddled in each other’s arms under the window, both still shaking from pain. He was speechless. It didn’t make sense for their father to lie to the people.

“It’ll go away soon.” Seungmin whispered, likely trying to reassure him since he hadn’t spoken a word yet and all could only nod his head against his shoulder in response.

The king’s voice carried up to them through the still open window, “The realization came as a shock to us as well, even after warring with them, even after being at what we thought was peace with them. I know it may be hard to believe but I am sure of this, the faeries have taken our goddess.”

Hyunjin let out a shuddering breath as the second lie washed over him, the same lie, and all he could do was curl further into Seungmin’s side as his twin did the same. He wanted to tell his father to stop, stop lying, tell the truth, stop hurting him, stop hurting them.

The volume of the crowd had been rising steadily as the people hung onto the king’s every word, their whispers turning to shouts of anger. They were rallying behind him and it scared Hyunjin, not knowing what his father was planning and knowing that the people were supporting a lie.

“We will make them pay!” The king was shouting now, his voice rising over the shouts of the people, “We will take back our goddess! Your king will lead you!” A long pause and his voice softened. “But it will not be me.” And the crowd went silent.

Hyunjin had been bracing himself for another lie, for its sharp needles to pierce his mind and torture him, but it never came. All that was left was shock as he tried to wrap his mind around his father’s words. Their father would not lead them, but the king would. The king.

Seungmin shifted next to him, trying to pull himself up to stand but Hyunjin grabbed his arm, yanking him back down next to him, furiously shaking his head. “Don’t.” He whispered, afraid but not sure why.

“That’s right,” their father’s voice was grim again, “I intend to step down from my place as your king and allow one of my sons, Prince Hyunjin or Prince Seungmin, to take the throne and lead you in finding Dallim. Additionally, it will not be me deciding who takes the crown, it will be up to the princes. I understand that we are experiencing troubling times but I feel that it is the right time to find the new leader of our kingdom.”

“Jinnie-ah. Hyunjin, my arm.” Seungmin murmured, and Hyunjin realized he was gripping his brother’s arm tight enough to leave angry red marks on his skin.

“Sorry.” He whispered, loosening his grip but not letting go. Everything had gone silent outside and he could feel his twin’s worry bleeding into his own, “Do you want to be king, Seungmin?”  
He cast his gaze down, “I don’t know. Do you?” He asked, eyes raising to meet Hyunjin’s, all sadness and soft melting browns.

“I don’t know either.” He whispered, suddenly feeling very small, “I don’t know.” And for the first time, he realized neither of them had ever expressed the true desire to be king.

“Now,” the king’s voice continued, “I understand you are confused but please, listen. The new king will be decided on the princes’ twentieth birthdays when they become of age. In order to determine who the next king shall be, I and the other lords have decided to have a contest, where the survivor will become king. Our kingdom must be built on strength, now more than ever since we must face an old enemy once again, and our king must have strength as well.” He paused, and the crowd, the people, the lords, the ladies, and the princes waited, breath stuck in their throats. “On their twentieth birthday, Prince Hyunjin and Prince Seungmin will engage each other in a battle to the death. The winner will be crowned king.”

Hyunjin stilled, waiting for the lie, waiting for the king to take it back, but it never came. No warning, no pain, nothing, and the silence in his mind was deafening.

“We will announce more details as we approach the event.” The king called to the now silent crowd. “Thank you for coming to listen to me today. I promise that soon, our lives will return back to normal and that our two moons will once again rise.”

He might have said more but Hyunjin couldn’t hear a thing, only the silence of his mind. It was slowly sinking in that without telling either of them, their father had arranged for the king to be crowned, and that the path to the throne was over his twin’s dead body.

“No,” he whimpered, tears flooding his eyes as he gripped Seungmin tighter, shaking, “Tell me it’s a lie, please, just say it’s a lie.”

Seungmin’s face crumpled, even as he reached up with his free hand to wipe away Hyunjin’s tears, “It’s a lie.” He whispered, but all Hyunjin could feel was the soft whisper in his mind telling him his twin was lying, even if it was for him.

* * *

“I’m so sorry.” Were the first words they heard from Daeseong after Hyunjin let him into his chambers where he and Seungmin still were late in the afternoon. After the king’s speech, neither had the will to leave, choosing the safety of this small space over the answers they desperately wanted for now.

“No more sorry than I am.” Hyunjin muttered, stepping back to let his cousin inside. There had been a few knocks on his door, people calling for them to come out, older lords and ladies Hyunjin wanted nothing to do with, not when they had known of their father’s plan.

Daeseong winced, “What are you going to do?”

“Not kill each other, as a start.” Seungmin replied from where he was lying on Hyunjin’s bed, legs hanging over the edge, staring at the red canopied top, hands clasped over his chest. He would otherwise have looked at peace if not for the tear tracks staining his cheeks.

“Right.” He said slowly, “But what about after that? What about Dallim?”

Hyunjin frowned, leaning against the wall, “I don’t know, I’ve been too busy focusing on finding a way to become king where I don’t have to kill my brother.” He replied, a bit coldly. There had been too many tears and too much stress for him to think of much else today.

“So you _do_ want to be king?” Daeseong asked, looking suddenly more interested and Hyunjin stiffened, realizing what he said. Being king was not a thought he wanted to entertain right now, not when the crown came with a price higher than he was willing to pay.

“That’s not what I-“

“Hyunjin, you would make an amazing king, though!” But his cousin’s overly enthusiastic tone and bright eyes were too much, it was all too much to think about right now when Hyunjin’s entirety was focused on how he and his brother would survive past the next two weeks and both be alive after their twentieth birthday.

“You would.” Seungmin said, sitting up and glancing at him over his shoulder, as if he wasn’t implying his own death and Hyunjin felt his heart drop. It was the way Seungmin’s eyes were so open and honest, as if telling him it was alright to dream of the throne, like he was already accepting his death and defeat, rationalizing it to himself, even, that made him want to tear the entire heavens and earth apart if it meant that he could forget today never happened.

But he couldn’t, all he could do is stare back and forth between his brother and cousin, feeling sick, “I’ll never be king if it means killing my brother.” He finally snapped, voice shaking, before he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, not bothering to shut the door behind him. Seungmin called after him but he kept walking, leaving him and Daeseong’s hurried apology behind.

He made his way through the halls of the castle, hastily brushing away the new tears and ignoring the lords and ladies calling after him, the servants hurried bows, and glaring with red rimmed eyes towards the few scattered whispers of _the new king_. Shaking them off, he turned in the direction of the throne room, bypassing the long line of nobles waiting to speak to the king. Perhaps it was his cold glare or the way he was walking, but they said nothing to stop him.

“Can I help you, Your Highness?” The herald at the grand door asked nervously as he saw the agitated prince approaching.

“I’d like to speak to my father.” He replied, head held high even without a crown, shoulders squared resolutely, using whatever bravado he could summon to deflect the stares and whispers behind him. His father was behind those doors, he couldn’t afford to look weak, he told himself, swallowing back the emotion threatening to well back up in his throat.

“Of course, of course.” The shorter man replied, bowing hurriedly to him before clearing his throat and motioning for the doors to the throne room to be opened, “Announcing, His Royal Highness, Prince Hwang Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin had never liked meeting his father like this, especially not here. It was a beautiful room, grand and open with polished dark wooden floors, deep blue drapes over the windows lined with delicate silver thread, and an ornate throne seared at the far opposite wall. Still, stepping in made him feel like he was being trapped in a cage and the doors shutting behind him like the lock closing him inside with a beast.

He didn’t let any tension show as he strode to where his father was seated on his high throne with all the confidence he didn’t truly have, bowing low but his with eyes never leaving the king’s face. He looked amused and Hyunjin bit back the urge to glare, his fears evaporating, replaced with a deep red anger bubbling dangerously inside of him.

“Hyunjin.” He greeted, “Can I help you?”

“Call it off.” He snapped, every word laced with venom, “I refuse to go through with this sick plan of yours. What are you trying to do?”

His father’s smile was nearly serene, “I’m doing what’s best for our kingdom.” And Hyunjin loathed how reasonable he made it all seem, as if he didn’t care that one of his son’s lives would be cut short.

“By forcing Seungmin and I to fight to the death? Do you really think that’s best?” He was nearly yelling now in a voice that didn’t sound quite like his own even though he knew he was being disrespectful but he couldn’t help it. He was afraid, he realized, afraid that in some sick and twisted future he had no control over, he would kill his brother. He was afraid of the idea of Seungmin killing him as well, not because he himself would die, but knowing the guilt his brother would live with for the rest of his life on the throne, guilt heavier than any crown, guilt he knew he could never live with.

“The people need a king, Hyunjin.”

“But why do one of us have to die for it, Father?” He should have known this would be a mistake. If his father was willing to not even tell him or his brother his plans then there was no chance of trying to convince him otherwise. This wouldn’t work, some part of him had known it already but he was tired, so tired, tired of the lies and the trickery, enough was enough and he had to stand up and do something. “I won’t do it.” He finally ground out as a last resort, “I refuse.”

“That is not an option.” The king replied, annoyance finally seeping into his calm tone despite his smile, “If you refuse to participate, I will allow Seungmin to kill you and become king. It is your choice.”

Hyunjin held his head higher, undeterred, his faith that his twin unwavering, “And if we both refuse?”

The king’s smile turned sinister, “I don’t believe you want to know what happens then, boy. It is best you do as I say, do you hear me? Now leave.”

And Hyunjin felt the same cold feeling creep into his mind, slithering in his ears, telling him to give in and comply but he shook his head harshly, forcing the icy hand lose its grip on him and slip away. All that was left of it was an aftershock of surprise, the feeling lingering right on the edge of his consciousness before disappearing completely.

He glared at his father with a barely contained snarl before turning on his heel to leave without bothering to bow as he made his way towards the exit, “There is nothing you or anyone could do or say to make me hurt my twin.” He called over his shoulder, “Your plan will fail, I’ll make sure of it.”

* * *

The castle was flooding with lords, ladies, and their families from all over the Koguryeo Kingdom, all of them flocking to Shinshi after news of the princes’ battle for the crown became public knowledge and Hyunjin was quickly growing sick of their pitying glances.

“Stop glaring.” Seungmin muttered to him, their shoulders pressed against one another. They were in the spacious eastern gardens, a place typically reserved for outdoor gatherings and tea parties, but was now being used as the castle’s social center with the twin princes forced in attendance as a sign of amiability from the royal family. So far, all they had done is stand underneath the hanging branches of several plants and nod politely but both of their moods were quickly souring.

“This is ridiculous.” He shot back, keeping his voice low, but he tried to smooth his expression. He had to play the part of prince for now, they both did, all dressed up like puppets in matching dark blues jackets with silver linings. He reached up subconsciously to adjust the thin silver band in his hair but his fingers grasped at nothing. He frowned before remembering he hadn’t been able to find his crown earlier, but he supposed it was fine since Seungmin’s head was bare as well. “Did I leave my silver crown in your room? The band of twisted silver strands?”

He saw his twin frown out of the corner of his eye, “Not that I’m aware of, but I couldn’t find mine either. When did you last wear yours?”

“Two nights ago,” He replied after a moment’s thought, “The night Father returned from his tour, we met with him that evening.”

Seungmin turned to face him, perplexed, “We did?”

“Yes?” It sounded more like he was questioning it himself and the night even felt fuzzy in his memories, barely there, “He wanted to speak with us and I wore my silver crown then, but I couldn’t find it when I was in my rooms later. Do you really not remember seeing him then?”

“Then the next day you said I shared some type of proposal with the Silla Kingdom with him, right?”

“You seriously don’t remember?” He asked, still incredulous.

Seungmin shook his head slowly, brow furrowed, “I don’t. I don’t even remember writing anything down for it, but it sounds like something I would try to do.” He sounded frustrated, as if he wanted desperately to remember but couldn’t, just like Hyunjin couldn’t clearly see that night with their father no matter how hard he tried.

“I remember you telling him,” he said slowly, “And then everything goes blank. There’s nothing from then until I’m back in my rooms. And I still don’t know where my favorite crown is.” He tried joking but Seungmin didn’t take it.

“Hyunjin, this is serious, we’re talking about _memory loss_.”

“You’re right.” He sobered up quickly, “And I don’t think now is a good time to ask Father if he knows.” He said, remembering his last encounter with the king.

“Why?” Seungmin asked, voice sharp.

“Yesterday, after Daeseong came to us and I left, I went to him to tell him to call off our birthday plan. It didn’t go well.” He admitted.

“Idiot.” He hissed, “You should’ve expected that.”

“I know, I know.” He held up his hands in mock surrender, trying to placate his twin, “But I was mad, I still am.”

Seungmin didn’t say anything for a moment, expression soft but calculating, “I’m not going to hurt you.” He said finally.

Hyunjin snorted, “I know that already, just like you already know I’m not going to hurt you either.” And he meant it, he’d sooner die himself than hurt Seungmin.

“I know, but-“ Hyunjin couldn’t hear what his brother was going to say, his voice cut off by the call of a stranger.

“Your Highnesses!”

“Hello.” Hyunjin muttered, annoyed but he bowed at the young man approaching them. He was likely close to his age, handsome enough but about half a head shorter and Hyunjin wanted nothing more than to simply look over his head and pretend he wasn’t there at all. Seungmin jabbed him harshly in the side as if sensing his thoughts and he masked the air whooshing out of his lungs with a poorly feigned cough loud enough that the trio of ladies not far from his right turned towards him with fake concern.

The stranger smiled as if he were sharing an inside joke between old friends, not two princes, “Well, I suppose I should greet His Future Majesty as well.” Bowing again towards him only and Hyunjin decided he didn’t like him.

“May I ask who you are?” Seungmin asked politely and Hyunjin couldn’t help but silently admire his twin’s calm demeanor after being insulted so blatantly and he felt Seungmin’s grip on his hand tighten as if he could sense his rising irritation, a warning to not do anything he would regret later.

“Of course, Your Highness!” He said with that same cheeky grin, “My name is Lee Dowon, I’m here with my father, he’s one of His Majesty’s lords. We came as soon as one of the moons disappeared.”

Hyunjin winced as the boy’s lies stacked on top of one another, leaving a harsh stinging burn his mind. Seungmin felt it as well, if the way he was now nearly crushing his hand was any indication. He reminded himself silently to be on guard. The imprint the lies left on him were always an indication of how much harmful intent someone had against him. It was something he and Seungmin had figured out over trial and error throughout their years of traversing the royal court and they used this to their advantage as much as they were able.

Even though he knew Seungmin would scold him later for it, he asked, “Who are you really?” He was still holding onto his leftover agitation from the day prior and something about this boy and his lies didn’t sit well with him. Now wasn’t a time for idleness or waiting for things to happen around him.

His boldness seemed to catch Dowon, if that was really his name, by surprise, his eyes widening at the prince’s question, “I just told you who I was.” He replied, laughing, a nervous tone undercutting his words.

“No,” Hyunjin smiled lazily, more at ease now since Seungmin had loosened his grip on his hand, a silent go ahead; he was trusting him. “Tell us who you really are, _Dowon_.”

All at once, the friendly mask disappeared and was replaced with a deep scowl, hatred filling his eyes and Hyunjin took an instinctive step back. “Clever prince.” Dowon snarled, reaching for his side. He lunged for Hyunjin, something bright and silver flashing in his raised hand.

He muttered a cruse to himself, stepping quickly to the side to dodge the attack, his hand slipping out of Seungmin’s. The sudden movement left him unbalanced and much more vulnerable than he would have liked.

Dowon turned, his expression nearly feral as he raised his knife above his head again, aiming for Hyunjin. He could see it arching down to him in slow motion, the world around him freezing to a halt. Too fast and too slow at the same time, but Seungmin was faster.

He tackled Hyunjin’s attacker to the ground, grabbing his wrist and twisting it painfully, the knife clattering to the stone ground as he pinned Dowon down next to it. The other boy fought to free himself from underneath Seungmin, nearly throwing him off but the prince kept his balance, quickly grasping him by the collar and raising his fist.

Two lightning fast punches in quick succession and Hyunjin’s would-be assassin lay unconscious on the ground of the eastern garden, blood leaking from his nose, some of it leaving a red stain on Seungmin’s knuckles. The crowd was dead silent, the guards frozen in place.

Everyone there should have known the younger twin of the Koguryeo Kingdom princes was a capable fighter, but Seungmin had always been praised as someone that thought faster than he acted. Hyunjin grinned, wishing he could capture the shock on everyone’s face to hold onto forever as his brother clambered to his feet with a scowl of his own, victorious but annoyed.

The scene finally returned to normal as guards began shouting for Dowon to be taken to the dungeons underground. Many of the nobility took this time to quickly excuse themselves to their rooms as more shouts ordered for the castle to go into lockdown in order to try and pinpoint how an assassin had been able to infiltrate the stone walls.

Hyunjin pulled his twin into a tight hug, whispering a soft _thank you_ into Seungmin’s ear. It was testament, even if they were pitted against one another, they never truly were. They would always be by one another’s side first and foremost, each other’s protectors before they were princes, and brothers above anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! Hope you all enjoyed Chapter 2!
> 
> Vai's unofficial chapter title for this week is "the king with a stick up his ass" (Last week's was "Is it an assassination attempt or surprise party?")
> 
> Thank you for reading! Have a lovely week!


	3. Future Sight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Not sure if anyone noticed, but I redid the fic summary and I might still change it some (not much) in the future. I will also go back and update/change the TW and CW lists on Chapter 1 as I need to to stay up to date, but for some chapters, I will put the TW list at the end of the chapter due to chapter spoilers. If I do (and I'll let you know in the beginning notes every time, don't worry) and you know there are certain topics on the Chapter 1 TW list that may possibly affect you, please please scroll down quickly and check the chapter TWs before reading. Again, when I do this, I will clearly state it as I have below. Thank you! 
> 
> TWs listed at the end of chapter due to spoilers, please check before reading this chapter if you feel it is necessary. 
> 
> Much love for Ree, Beck, and Vai for beta-ing always <333
> 
> Enjoy everyone!!

“You can leave us.” Hyunjin called over his shoulder, dismissing the group of guards that had tailed him and Seungmin at a respectful distance from the eastern garden.

“Your Highnesses, what if there’s another attack?” The one in front asked, polite but stiff, “We haven’t finished our sweep of the castle yet.”

“I believe we’re quite capable of taking care of anyone who would like to try and attack us.” Seungmin replied, equally cool. “I believe my brother alone could best any of you in a fight. We’ll be fine, thank you.” And with that, they bowed and scattered, likely biting back their annoyances towards the twin princes but unable to voice them. Hyunjin found himself not caring. Seungmin protected him better than they ever had and he would do the same.

He felt himself relax, allowing the built up the tension in his shoulders to slowly seep out since it was only him and his twin in the long hall, the tall windows letting in the bright rays of the afternoon sun. It was a beautiful day and Hyunjin wondered briefly how much it would take to convince Seungmin to spar with him but he knew his twin better, “What did you want to talk about?” He asked, footsteps clicking softly on the marble floor as he walked.

“A lot.” He replied shortly, not missing a beat.

Hyunjin nodded, “I want to know why I’m remembering things you don’t.” Seungmin had stopped a few steps back and he turned, waiting for him.

“Better question,” he said finally, “ _Why_ am I forgetting?”

“Oh,” Hyunjin breathed, “You think someone doesn’t want you to remember something on purpose, don’t you?”

His brother nodded, expression grim, “Which brings on even more questions.” He sighed, finally moving to catch up with him, both of them falling in step.

“Any answers?” Hyunjin asked hopefully.

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Didn’t think so.” He grimaced, but felt himself hesitating.

“What?” Seungmin asked, narrowing his eyes at him and Hyunjin didn’t blame him for being suspicious. He wasn’t known for holding back, often speaking as quickly as his mind allowed.

“I’m just thinking,” he replied softly, brow furrowing, “But the last person we were with before all of this was Father.”

“And I don’t even remember meeting with him or you.” Seungmin groaned, “But you’re not lying either.” And Hyunjin nodded; his brother would know in an instant if he was lying but that somehow complicated things further: Seungmin knew he wasn’t fabricating memories.

Hyunjin hummed softly in thought, “What do we do now then?”

“Make a plan.”

“You mean plans.”

Seungmin shot him a suspicious glance, “How many plans? What are we trying to achieve?”

He counted off on his fingers, “First and foremost, we need to find a way out of our supposed fight to the death for the throne, our birthday is less than two weeks away. Then we can clear up your memory issue.”

He nodded slowly, following along, “And we still don’t know what happened to the moon.”

“Because it wasn’t the faeries, Father lied.” Hyunjin continued.

“Which again brings up the issue as to why he would lie.” Seungmin muttered, their confusion mixing with their shared frustrations.

“We can’t ask him why.” He said quickly, remembering the hours earlier he tried confronting his father. He was resolute in his stance that he wouldn’t fight Seungmin but couldn’t help but feel he still walked away defeated. The king had never been defied before and certainly not by his eldest son.

“Yes,” Seungmin replied wryly, “Because while I admire you for standing up to him for the both of us, that was not the ideal way to do it.”

“Yes, brother.” He groaned, eyes rolling to the high ceilings, “I am aware of my mistakes, please forgive me.”

“Forgiven.”

“Thank the gods.”

They walked aimlessly in silence, their steps weighed down with unanswered questions. The castle itself was quiet even though it wasn’t yet nighttime, the threat of assassination looming over everyone’s heads. Their kingdom was in turmoil with the moon goddess missing, the lies and hate for faeries remounting, and the prospect of one of the princes ascending to the throne flying from mouth to mouth in the streets of Shinshi but for once, the whispering walls within the castle were silent.

Hyunjin mused silently to himself, replaying his father’s speech in his mind. He didn’t lie when he said there would be a new king which meant he was willing to hand power over to him or Seungmin but on his grounds: one of them would have to die, but he was determined to not play by his father’s twisted rules. He would cast away his father’s lies and forge another path to the throne.

That’s who his father was, Hyunjin realized. He knew the king was many things but had shown new colors in the past few days that felt truer to who he actually was than he had ever been before. Liar. Manipulator. Cruel.

“But not a king.” He muttered to himself, thoughts swirling faster and faster in his mind. Everything his father was up to this day was built on veiled lies and malicious intentions. If he had been Hyunjin, he knew he would never be able to face himself. He would be better. He would do better. He _could_ do better, he realized, stopping as the setting rays of the sun cast over the floors in front of him like a glowing path. He stepped into the light, letting the warmth settle onto him like a crown.

“Seungmin-ah.” He called to his twin who had walked ahead as he neared the end of the long hall and he turned, head tilted slightly in curiosity. Hyunjin felt something deep in his chest ache for him. He wanted his brother to be happy, this person who was dearest to him, his better half. The crown would weigh his unvoiced dreams down, the throne would shackle his ambition. He couldn’t let that happen. Seungmin was always meant for more than these castle walls.

He could stay. The people would be his to protect, just like he pledged himself to; giving his life to someone felt easy to him. It felt right, just like it felt right when his eyes met his twin’s, determination rising inside of him so strong that even if the moons never rose again, if the suns and stars blinked out of existence, if the gods were to turn their backs on them and leave this world behind, they would be alright. He would light the way.

“I want to be king.”

Even from a distance, he could see Seungmin’s eyes widen in surprise as if he was looking at Hyunjin and seeing someone new. But then his shock melted into a smile and he could feel it: gratitude, relief, happiness, all of it from his brother but bubbling up inside of him until he felt like he was overflowing with emotion.

He stepped towards Hyunjin, the sunlight washing over them both as they stood face to face and Seungmin bowed low to him before rising with that same grateful smile. Acceptance, he realized. Without a word, without a fight, he placed Hyunjin over himself just as he had and because of it, because of Seungmin, he would be king.

* * *

“You partially went through with one of our plans already.” Seungmin told him, pulling himself onto Hyunjin’s bed like always, his legs hanging over the side.

Hyunjin closed the door to his room behind him, meeting his brother’s excitement with a look of confusion, “I did?”

“Yeah,” he replied, sitting up with a smile, “No more fighting for the throne.”

“Oh, you’re right.” He murmured. Seungmin usually was, but he had to admit it truly did feel right with him, becoming king. “Now we just have to tell Father and have him call off the fight.” He said, frowning at the idea of even seeing him.

“We can do it together.” Seungmin promised, easily sensing his twin’s uneasiness and putting it to rest.

“Alright.” Relief washed over him and he wanted nothing more than to climb into bed and fall asleep, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up to him. From his father’s shocking decree this morning, to the attempted assassination in the eastern garden, all of it had worn on him, but a frantic banging at his door made him stiffen in surprise, the hair on his neck standing on end.

Whoever was on the other side of the door began yanking at the handle, trying to force their way in, but Hyunjin had been present enough to lock the door when he entered. Reaching out, Seungmin wordlessly handed Hyunjin the knife he kept at his bedside and he slowly approached the still shaking door.

“Who’s there?” He called, tone commanding. The knife was grasped tightly in his hand, ready to strike.

“Your favorite cousin!” The voice called back, undoubtedly Daeseong’s.

Hyunjin lowered his knife with a huff, striding forward to unlock the door and yank it open, raising a questioning eyebrow at his late night guest.

His cousin smiled sheepishly, “Sorry,” he said, “But I heard about what happened today, just had to see with my own eyes that you were alright.”

“I’m fine.” Hyunjin sighed, allowing himself to relax slightly, “Seungmin saved me.” And he waved with his free hand towards where his twin was once again perched on his bed.

“Seungminnie!” Daeseong cried, flinging himself at him before Hyunjin could stop him. He tackled Seungmin in an overly enthusiastic hug, “Good job!”

“Of course,” Seungmin managed, patting Daeseong’s back awkwardly.

Hyunjin sighed again, wondering if this is what his brother felt like dealing with him every day. Crossing the room, he tossed his knife back on the table before yanking Daeseong off his so that they were sprawled out side by side on their backs and Seungmin gasped in a deep breath.

“Had to protect our future king.” He continued, still lightly wheezing.

Daeseong sat up quickly, “Our future king.” He echoed, looking quickly back and forth between Seungmin and Hyunjin before finally settling on the elder twin, expression morphing into shock then lighting up with joy as he tackled him in a hug.

Hyunjin felt the air leave his lungs at his cousin’s crushing hug, but he was still thankful. Just like Seungmin, Daeseong had accepted him as king.

“Thanks.” He gasped, trying to reach out and pat him as Seungmin had, but Daeseong had effectively pinned his arms to his sides but he couldn’t help smiling.

“We have to celebrate!” Daeseong cried, finally releasing Hyunjin and he nearly collapsed to the ground in a heap. His cousin seemed to not notice though as he rushed out of Hyunjin’s room, not closing the door behind him as he left.

“Celebrate?” He questioned, finally gathering himself up and flinging himself down next to Seungmin, but his brother only shrugged with a tired smile and he couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

They were able to share this quiet moment in their hectic day for just a few minutes before Daeseong rushed back in, a tray in his hands.

“I brought tea!” He announced.

“Our celebration, I presume?” Seungmin teased.

“That’s right!” Daeseong remained unperturbed, pushing a delicate cup into his hands and one into Hyunjin’s. “I hope it’s alright, I didn’t know how you like your tea and there wasn’t anyone left in the kitchen for me to ask.”

“It’s fine.” Hyunjin said, peering into his own cup at the light brown surface, milk swirling inside. It wasn’t how he preferred his tea but he didn’t say anything, content enough with his cousin’s happiness.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Seungmin glance at his own cup, then Hyunjin’s, before subtly bumping his arm. He looked down at his brother’s cup, Seungmin’s tea still dark and seemingly without any milk added to it. A slight nod and the twins quickly swapped cups while their cousin’s back was turned.

“Is it alright?” Daeseong asked, turning around, unaware of the twins’ swapping drinks if his still bright smile was any indicator.

Hyunjin took a careful sip and smiled, “Perfect.” He had never been overly picky about how he took his tea, he just didn’t like milk with it. Anything other than that was mostly fine with him.

“It’s good.” Seungmin smiled and Hyunjin had to stifle a laugh in his cup at his twin’s lie. The opposite of him, Seungmin was more particular about how he liked his tea but still always refuse to complain out of politeness.

They drank in silence before Daeseong asked, “I’m assuming you both have a plan? You both seem too calm about Hyunjin being king. Last I checked, Seungmin had to die in order for that to happen.”

Hyunjin nearly choked on his tea, “He’s not dying.”

“We’re going to talk to Father.” Seungmin supplied helpfully, setting down his empty cup.

Daeseong nodded, “Good, good, I’m really glad. Tell me how it goes.” He smiled, standing and reaching to take their cups, “It’s getting late, I should go. Thanks for letting me in.”

“Don’t scare me to death next time.” Hyunjin smiled weakly.

“Of course,” he called, “Good night.” And he quietly shut the door.

Not long after he left, Hyunjin yawned, laying down and reaching out to pull his twin close, flinging an arm and leg over him, “We should just move into the same room at this point.”

“You didn’t even offer for me to stay.” Seungmin replied, voice muffled.

“Don’t have to. You can always sleep here.”

Seungmin yawned into his sleeve where his arm was thrown over his face, “Yeah, thanks, I’ll stay.”

“Knew you would.” He yawned as well, nearly asleep.

“Jinnie-ah, I can’t breathe.”

“Sorry.” He moved his arm to rest on his twin’s chest but could feel his stuttering breaths begin to slow. Pulling himself up on his elbows, he frowned. Seungmin’s eyes were closed, lips parted but his breaths were short and growing more and more labored.

“Seungmin. Seungmin, wake up.” He shook him but his brother didn’t respond. His breaths were becoming more and more shallow and Hyunjin felt his own airway begin to close. “Seungmin!”

It was getting harder and harder for him to breathe but he couldn’t worry about himself now: Seungmin had stopped breathing altogether.

He was nearly screaming, pulling Seungmin closer to shake him, “Hey! Come on, wake up! Seungmin! You’re scaring me, wake up!” But Seungmin didn’t respond, only letting out one final shuddering breath before going limp in Hyunjin’s arms.

He froze, a cold feeling settling inside of him as he stared at his twin’s lifeless face. Black spots danced in his vision but he didn’t care, not when Seungmin was so still. He mouthed his name, trying to speak but no sound came out. He couldn’t even draw a breath in for himself, his throat shut tightly closed.

He felt himself sway, his mind lightheaded and body slumped over but still clinging desperately to Seungmin even as darkness filled his vision. His eyes closed, lips still forming his brother’s name before he was finally pulled into the deep murky black.

* * *

Hyunjin opened his eyes. He was standing in a garden full of ghostly silver flowers as far as he could see. A gleaming city shone in the distance but he frowned, the base of the buildings were rising from the skies rather than the ground, but he was unable to focus on it for very long.

A dark figure moved among the flowers, drawing closer to where he stood but he couldn’t move, not even when the figure stood before him. He could just make out a human shape and that they were tall, looming over Hyunjin.

“It’s not yet your time, little prince.” The figure’s voice was soft, kind even, but Hyunjin frowned. The figure stood in front of him but was looking over his head as if they were speaking to someone else. Even as he turned from side to side, he could see no one else here but himself and the dark figure.

Hyunjin didn’t know if the figure saw him either. It turned away, as if he wasn’t there, before continuing on in the garden. He could just make out the figure’s voice one more time as his vision began to swim with darkness again, the garden before him disappearing.

“Go home.” Voice low, “I will see you again someday, your life is being shaped by the hands of the gods but for now, leave this place and go home.”

* * *

Hyunjin gasped, shooting up in bed. He was in his room, no ghostly flowers, no mysterious figures, no gleaming city, only him drenched in cold sweat and drowning in the blankets of his own bed.

“Seungmin?” He called, coughing, his throat sore, but his brother was nowhere to be found. Images of his twin struggling to breathe flashed in his mind and he felt the same panic from before swell up inside of him.

Bare feet touched the cold floor as he untangled himself from his covers, sprinting out of his room across the hall to Seungmin’s. The hall was thankfully empty with no prying eyes to bear witness to the disheveled prince.

“Hey! Seungmin!” He yelled, banging on his door, but there was no answer, no rustle of movement from the other side to tell him if his brother was there or not. The door was locked as well and he kicked it in frustration.

With a low growl, he turned on his heel and stepped back into his own room, heading straight for his desk. Opening the bottom draw on the left side, he withdrew a set of skeleton keys. With them, he was confident he could open nearly any door in the castle but he and Seungmin had both outgrown their penchant for purposefully getting into mischief long ago, but Hyunjin still had the keys. He wouldn’t be surprised if Seungmin still had his set as well.

The keys clinked softly together as Hyunjin picked through them before finding the right one and he rushed back across the hall. With a soft apology to his brother, he inserted the key. With a soft click, the door gave way and he let himself into the room, already on guard in case Seungmin was awake and wary of intruders.

The room was quiet and dim, the curtains drawn to a close. He could just make out the shape of his brother in his bed underneath the heavy covers. Seungmin hadn’t moved when he entered and Hyunjin frowned, approaching slowly.

“Hey, are you alright?” He asked, reaching out to lay a hand on him but there was still no response. Worry pooled in his stomach as he reached up to pull down the blankets to see his brother’s face.

He stumbled back a step, cursing softly.

Seungmin’s face was just as still as Hyunjin remembered. His skin was unnaturally pale, lips parted but no breath passed through them. He rested his hand on his chest, but it didn’t rise or fall.

“Oh, Seungminnie, no,” He murmured, “No, no, you can’t,” hysteria bled into his words as he began to panic, tears springing into his eyes, “You can’t die.” He finally whispered, falling to his knees, “You can’t leave me.”

* * *

“Your Highne-“

“Where’s Daeseong?” Hyunjin demanded the first person he could find: an older lord whose name he couldn’t remember.

They shrank back, likely alarmed by the young prince’s appearance, at his messy hair and tear-stained cheeks, but Hyunjin didn’t care. His brother was dead and he wanted answers. Daeseong was the last person they were both with.

“He’s in the library last I saw, Your Highness.” They stumbled over their words.

“Thank you.” He replied, stalking off.

There was something going wrong in the castle, he could feel the unease itching beneath his skin. Maybe it was him, someone who didn’t know if they could survive in this world without his other half. He was incomplete.

The library was almost silent when he pushed the doors open, eyes scanning through the massive space, searching for his cousin. He moved slowly through the tall shelves, eyes sweeping back and forth in search until he heard hushed whispers.

Rounding the right corner, his cousin was huddled together with a group of unfamiliar faces. One of them saw Hyunjin and gasped, pointing and Daeseong’s face went pale as soon as he saw him.

“Hello cousin.” He smiled, knowing it wouldn’t reach his ice-cold eyes, the same ice running through his veins, so cold he didn’t even know if he was alive. 

“We’ll see you later, Daeseong.” One boy muttered nervously and the group dispersed, none of them daring to make eye contact with the prince as they brushed past.

“Hyun-“

He was cut off by Hyunjin’s fist slamming into his face, knocking him to the floor

“I’m only going to ask this once.” Hyunjin snarled, standing over him, “What the fuck did you do to my brother?”

“I didn’t do anything!” He coughed, blood spurting from his nose as he scrambled back.

“Liar!” He snapped, hot anger mixing with the sharp pain, “You left and the next thing I know, Seungmin is dying in my arms! How can you say you did nothing?”

“Dying?” He had the shame to look shocked, “Hyunjin, I didn’t kill him!”

“Then what did you _do_?”

“I-“

“Lord Daeseong!”

Hyunjin turned as a young lady turned the corner, her eager grin falling as she caught sight of Daeseong cowering on the ground, “Your Highness!” She gasped, dropping into a quick bow.

“Hyorae, now isn’t a good time.” Daeseong’s muttered thickly through the blood in his mouth.

“But Daeseong,” Hyorae cried, “We finally rounded up the last of the faeries in Shinshi! Aren’t you glad?”

Hyunjin’s breath stilled in his lungs, “What?” He finally managed, “What is she talking about?” He demanded, yanking Daeseong up by his collar.

“Hyunjin calm down!” He pleaded.

“Answer the question and then I’ll consider it.”

Hyorae replied excitedly, “After the moon disappeared, the king ordered for all the fairies living in Shinshi to be taken into custody since it was the Sillans who took the moon. Daeseong was put in charge of overseeing it all as well!”

“Hyorae,” Daeseong glanced nervously between her and Hyunjin, “You’re dismissed, I’ll speak to you later.”

“But-“

“Hyorae.”

She huffed and turned on her heel, leaving. The library was silent.

Hyunjin released his cousin and closed his eyes, “Explain.” He said, deadly calm, “Now.”

“We had to do _something_ , Hyunjin!” He cried, “You should understand, you want to be king, don’t you? It was up to us to act!”

“Act on what, exactly?”

“Have you forgotten that Dallim is _gone_? I’m telling you: the fairies can’t be trusted. We did what we had to do to keep this kingdom safe. You would have done the same.”

He opened his eyes, anger coursing through him, “I wouldn’t have done a thing to the fairies in Shinshi.” He replied coolly, “Because the faeries didn’t take Dallim. My father lied to you all.”

Daeseong’s eyes widened, “You’re insane,” He whispered, “You’re gone for a week and suddenly, you’re here questioning the king and-“

Hyunjin cut him off, “What do you mean, I’m gone for a week?”

“You disappeared!” Daeseong erupted, jumping to his feet, “No one knew what happened to you or Seungmin, and suddenly you’re back is if nothing has happened, in _my_ face as if it’s all _my_ fault when _I’m_ the one that’s been holding this place together!”

“I told you!” He snapped, refusing to back down, “You left my room and then a few minutes later, Seungmin stopped breathing, _I_ stopped breathing, and then I wake up minutes ago to find my twin dead in his own room and you have the audacity to play victim?”

Daeseong threw his hands up in frustration, “What was I supposed to do? The king forbade me from seeing you. You could have been dead for all I know.”

“And thanks to that, Seungmin is truly dead and you’ve fucked up my kingdom.”

“Seungmin is not dead and the kingdom is as strong as ever.” A calm voice behind him interjected and a low thrum of energy thrummed at the base of his skull, sending shockwaves down his spine.

Hyunjin’s glare landed on his father. He didn’t bother bowing. Any shred of respect he had for the king died that morning he sat with his twin underneath the window of his room, listening to their father proclaim one of them would kill one another.

“I just saw him.” Hyunjin growled, but he was suspicious. Ever since the king returned from his tour of the eastern coast, he had been paying careful attention to his father’s words, always on the hunt for lies, but the king wasn’t lying now.

“I implore you to not immediately believe everything you see and hear, Hyunjin. Seungmin is fine.”

“Then I won’t believe you until I see him breathing with my own eyes.”

“Good.”

“But that doesn’t make what you’re doing to the faeries in Shinshi right.” He snapped.

“Hyunjin!” Daeseong whispered sharply, scolding him as if he had the right to.

The king sighed as if he were disappointed, “Many of the faeries in Shinshi are from Silla, we had to take precautions.”

Hyunjin wanted to laugh, “You’re still holding onto that lie, Father? You and I both know it wasn’t the faeries.” The king was speechless for a moment, not saying a word and Hyunjin relished the look of shock on his face.

“I’m not sure what you mean.” He finally managed, forcing calmness into his voice, “I have confirmed this fact with the temple priests.”

“You can’t be serious,” He scoffed, rolling his eyes, “You supposedly confirmed with them that it was Dallim missing and not Dalsun. A child could have told us the same and I would have been more likely to believe them than you. All you’ve done is lie. I’m done.” And with his head held high, like he had nothing to lose even though he already lost everything, he pushed past his father, leaving him and Daeseong behind.

“Where are you going?” The king called.

He didn’t turn, “I’m going to see Seungmin.”

“And you realize he’ll have to die all over again if you wish to be king, don’t you?”

“Oh, I’m going to be king.” He called over his shoulder, “But I will forge my own path to the throne and if you have an issue with that, you’re better off killing me now.”

* * *

Seungmin’s door was slightly ajar so he let himself in. It was dimly lit with a few candles, the suns already setting, and there was his brother, sitting up in bed alive and breathing, a stark contrast to the still body from earlier.

Hyunjin saw his face light up when he stepped into the room and he stumbled across the room, a sob clawing its way up his throat as he tackled his brother in a hug.

Words weren’t needed when it was just them. Nothing mattered anymore when it was just the two of them in the same space. It was how they always had been and always will be. They were balance, two of a kind, each other’s better halves but of the same whole and when they were together, Hyunjin felt like his world was finally right.

He could sense something was different with Seungmin even as he held him tightly, but there was something different with him as well, like he didn’t even belong in his own skin anymore. He had outgrown himself. That last night had changed them.

There was so much to tell Seungmin, but he wouldn’t tell him now. He needed this moment of quiet with him before they had to face the world again. He was a thief, he realized, stealing a small memory to hold onto before the world made them change again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Death
> 
> So yeah. Um, comments are always appreciated, and thank you for reading!! I hope you all are enjoying it!!
> 
> Vai's unofficial chapter title: "ah, to tea or not to tea"


	4. Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I hope everyone is doing well and had a lovely week! I am here with the next chapter, enjoy! 
> 
> TW // Mentions of Death , Mentions of Killing

“Two days.” Seungmin murmured.

Hyunjin glanced at him, worried. His twin hadn’t spoken much since he had come back. He had tried his best to explain what had happened with Daeseong but all Seungmin had done was listen and nod quietly, eyes unfocused as he stared up at the ceiling.

“Two days until our birthday.” He agreed, perching on the inside of Seungmin’s window, watching the single moon rise. It was nearly full. “And it sounds like Father is still intends for us to fight.”

“It’s not going to be much of a fight.”

“It’s not going to be a fight at all.”

Seungmin turned his head towards him, expression blank, “That’s not what I mean, Hyunjin.”

“You can’t be serious.” Hyunjin asked sharply.

“Just think about it,” he groaned, turning over on his side, “You know I’m standing in your way. It’s easier this way.”

All Hyunjin could do was stare at his brother. He looked smaller and weaker than he ever had curled up on his bed, dark circles under his eyes. Everything about him, his words, demeanor, all of it screamed that Seungmin was done and giving up. It scared Hyunjin; Seungmin never gave up.

“Go to sleep, Seungmin-ah.” He murmured, “We can talk in the morning.”

“Hyunjin-“

“We’re not doing this.” He said, more forcefully than he intended and Seungmin seemed to shrink away from him. He softened his voice even as his frown deepened, “We’re not giving up.”

His brother didn’t say anything, just stared at him with tired brown eyes. They never left him even as they slowly fluttered shut. Hyunjin waited for his breaths to slow and even out before he stepped out of his room, shutting the door softly behind him and using his skeleton key to lock it.

Seungmin was different. That’s all he could think about as he made his way through the dark castle corridors. He couldn’t make sense of it anymore, not Seungmin, not Daeseong, not his father, not even in the direction he wanted to take anymore.

He told Seungmin not to give up but seeing him lose hope made him uneasy. Maybe because he knew that if Seungmin didn’t listen to him and accepted dying so that he could be king, he would give up as well. Not even his own dreams were worth his brother’s life.

That didn’t mean he was giving up yet, though. He still had tonight and two days left. Even though that wasn’t much, and perhaps it was his own foolish thinking, but he knew he had to keep trying to get through to those around him. At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself as he stood in front of the door leading to the king’s chambers.

He had to try. Nothing would change if nothing was put in motion. If he could just try one more time to convince his father to call the fight off, he could buy himself more time for everything. More time to be with Seungmin, more time to find out what happened to the moon, and more time for him to find out how to lead a kingdom.

“Father, can I speak to you?” He called, knocking sharply.

There was no answer or indication that there was anyone inside the room at all. With a frown, he knocked again. When there was still no answer, he tried to doorknob, but it was locked. Sighing, he finally started trying each of his skeleton keys.

It briefly crossed his mind that he was breaking into his father’s private chambers, something he had never even considered, but he wanted to talk, he wanted answers. If small crimes were what it took, it was worth it to him.

The lock clicked and he opened the door, sending a silent apology to the gods as he stepped inside.

“Father, can we talk?” He asked, but he was speaking to an empty room. It didn’t surprise him. The king seemed to appear as he was needed and no more than that, he thought to himself as he shut the door behind him.

The king’s chambers were similar to his own: a large bed against the wall to his right, a door in the corner leading to the washroom, a small sitting room on the opposite side of the room, a large wooden writing desk set in between tall, curtained windows with wardrobes lining the otherwise empty walls.

He circled the room slowly, looking for any indication of the king being here recently but it was as if he had never occupied this space at all. The bed was cold and made up neatly, the curtains were stiff from disuse, and a fine layer of dust covered the desk.

His gaze landed on a stack of papers laying on the bedside table with two keys lying next to it. He frowned, easily recognizing his twin's handwriting. Picking up the papers, he leafed through it, realizing with a start that it was Seungmin’s treaty proposal to the Silla Kingdom, the one he never got to present to the rest of the court. Their father had kept his notes.

“Thank you for this.” He muttered, knowing he needed to show this to Seungmin soon.

He didn’t know what to make of the pair of keys. They were dull silver with small bits of rust creeping down the shaft and bit. Not allowing himself a second thought, he pocketed them, hearing them softly click against the skeleton keys. He didn’t know what they were for or why he took them, all he knew was that he was tired of this world taking from him; he wanted to take back just a little bit.

* * *

Hyunjin woke to someone banging on his bedroom door. He had fallen asleep at his desk after spending the rest of his night reading and rereading his brother’s handwriting until the pages were bleary. After that, he turned each of the silver keys over and over in his hands and through his fingers. One was still clutched loosely in his hand.

The bright sunlight shining through his windows indicated that it was likely early afternoon and he grimaced. He hadn’t been able to sleep properly. There was too much to think about and too much to do. Two days wasn’t enough time and he didn’t have enough of it to waste on sleeping.

The knock sounded again, more urgently this time.

He crossed the room and opened the door. A figure darted in, charging directly into him and a pair of arms wrapping tightly around his chest.

“Seungmin?”

“Where did you go?” He cried, pulling back just far enough to pin him with a look of worry, “I woke up and you were just gone, Hyunjin! You could have been-“ He cut himself off abruptly, pulling away from Hyunjin with a heavy sigh. “Explain.”

Hyunjin could only blink at Seungmin, “I could have been what?”

He sighed through his teeth, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Dead, Hyunjin. You could have been dead.”

“Why would I be dead?” The thought horrified him.

Seungmin’s fearful stare bore into him and he spoke as if each word was painstaking, “Because I’ve seen it, for an entire week, I’ve dreamt of you dying in every way imaginable. A week, Hyunjin, so forgive me if I still can’t get it out of my head that I’m not still dreaming.”

“You are not dreaming,” Hyunjin said, gripping Seungmin’s shoulders tightly, “You’re here, I’m here, this isn’t another nightmare, it’s real. I’m here,” he said again, “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know.” He sighed, “Because it’s you.”

“Because it’s me.” He agreed with a small, hopeful smile, but the feeling didn’t last.

“I see you’re both well.”

Hyunjin could see Seungmin stiffen at the sound of their father’s voice and he quickly yanked him closer to his side, gripping his hand tightly. They stood pressed shoulder to shoulder and Hyunjin silently prayed that the king wouldn’t look too far into his room: the keys and Seungmin’s notes were still laying on his desk.

It was beginning to disturb him how his father seemed to appear without notice, without a sound, and he shuddered slightly, wondering how easily he could have been caught last night. His father’s presence made him uneasy enough, especially now that every time he spoke, no matter what it was, his words sent a low shock of energy from the base of his skull down his spine. Not enough to hurt, but enough that he knew his father wasn’t lying directly, but that he should be wary of anything the king said.

“What do you want?” Hyunjin snapped. He felt Seungmin grip his hand harder.

“No need to be hostile, Hyunjin,” he said in a futile attempt to placate his oldest son, “I merely wanted to see you both.”

“We’re fine, Father,” Seungmin interjected before Hyunjin could say anything, “But I wanted to speak to you about something.”

“And what would that be, Seungmin?”

Hyunjin could feel his brother’s hesitation and he squeezed his hand back, a silent encouragement. He trusted Seungmin.

“Father,” he began, “I refuse to participate in the fight you intended for Hyunjin and I. I won’t do it.”

“I won’t either.” Hyunjin said, “Seungmin and I have talked to one another and I’m willing to become king. There’s no need for us to fight, Father, there never was.”

The king said nothing for a moment, just regarded them both with a look of distaste. “There is no backing out of this fight, Seungmin, and Hyunjin, if you wish to be king, you must prove it.”

“I refuse.” He snapped, leaning forward slightly with a glare, defiance etched into every angle of his stance.

“You do not get a say in this matter. Neither of you do.” The king’s tone was cold and Hyunjin felt like ice was being poured down his back but he couldn’t let himself back down now or ever. His and Seungmin’s lives were on the line.

“What’s the point of us fighting if I’m willing to take the throne?”

The king turned, already attempting to cut their conversation short, “I told you already, the Koguryeo Kingdom needs a strong king to lead us against the faeries. If you wish for that to be you, then you must prove it to me and the people.” And he turned and left the room but Hyunjin wasn’t done.

He sprinted out of his room pulling Seungmin with him. Their father was already nearing the end of the long hall and about to turn the corner despite having just exited the room. “You can’t fool us,” Hyunjin yelled after him, “We know it wasn’t the faeries.” This made the king freeze, just as it had the night before. “What are you hiding?” He went on, “What are you afraid of? What is so important that you’re forcing your sons to fight to the death just so one of us can chase after your lies? What _actually_ happened to Dallim, Father?”

“I don’t believe you know what you’re talking about, boy.” The king replied, voice still cold. He didn’t turn to face them.

“Father,” Seungmin finally spoke up, “What you’re doing is only going to divide our kingdom and possibly start _another_ war with the Silla Kingdom and maybe even the entire faerie race. What are you trying to achieve?”

“I am doing what is best for this kingdom and I shall continue to do so for as long as I am king.”

“Then thank the gods that you won’t be king for much longer.” Hyunjin snarled, meaning every word he said. “Because I told you, no matter what you say, do, or try, I will become king, and not even _you_ can stand in my way.”

“Is that a threat?”

He stared hard at his father’s still turned back, “I can best any person in this castle in a fight and you are no exception.”

“Very well,” the king replied easily, “Time after time, you both have tried to resist and refuse my orders. Therefore, from now on, if you choose to strike out against me, if you refuse to comply with my orders, I will kill you both and find another heir.” And without another word, he turned the corner and was gone.

* * *

“It doesn’t make sense.” Seungmin muttered, his brow furrowed. They had taken refuge in his room after attempting to chase after their father, but he had disappeared.

Hyunjin spent the time telling his brother about the previous night in the library with Daeseong and the king, nodding grimly in response to Seungmin’s look of horror at the news that they were imprisoning all the faeries in Shinshi.

_“There’s no proof it was the fairies.” He cried, pacing back and forth._

_“We can’t trust Daeseong anymore.” Hyunjin muttered, hating that his cousin was falling for his father’s lies. “Not after what he did to you.”_

_Seungmin stopped and slowly faced him, “Do you really think he tried to kill me?” He asked quietly._

_Hyunjin thought for a moment before replying somberly, “You_ died _. You were dead. I saw you. I don’t know what happened or how you’re alive now, but Daeseong was the last person we were with. If it was him, and I can’t think of anyone else who could have done it, he didn’t_ try _to kill you; he succeeded.” The words sent another chill down his spine. He hadn’t been able to shake the cold from his bones since seeing his father._

_“Then what happened to you?”_

_“I don’t know.” He admitted. Daeseong poisoned Seungmin, but, “He could have poisoned me as well.”_

_He saw Seungmin biting his lip, thinking, “It would make more sense that way, especially since we both seemed to wake up on our own.”_

_“Seungmin.” Hyunjin said, shaking his head, “I know what I saw. I’m not lying, either.”_

_“Prove it. I don’t doubt you but prove it to me.”_

_“I woke up, broke into your room-“_

_“You what?”_

_“The skeleton keys, remember?”_

_“Hyunjin, really?”_

_“You didn’t answer the door!”_

_“Fine, fine, go on. Don’t do it again though.”_

_“Answer your door next time.”_

_Seungmin started towards him and he laughed, falling back with his hands raised in surrender, “Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”_

_He crossed his arms and Hyunjin sobered, “Daeseong poisoned your tea and you died.” He spoke carefully. “I saw your dead body in your room but came back later and you were alive.”_

_Seungmin said nothing, just let his words circulate as he turned them over and over in his mind, searching for the lie. It was something they had done many times, mostly when they were arguing, or even as a game when they were children just to see if they could trick one another. Trade bare facts back and forth to see who was lying and who was telling the truth._

Seungmin sighed, “It doesn’t make sense.” He said again.

“So I’m not lying?”

“No, I couldn’t tell anything. Unless for some reason I can’t find lies anymore, you’re telling the truth and I somehow died and came back to life.”

Hyunjin listened carefully to Seungmin as well but he couldn’t find any lies either, “I don’t think you’re losing it.” He murmured.

He looked at Seungmin who was still deep in thought but all he could see was the dark circles under his eyes and he frowned. To him, being dead didn’t exactly seem like a night’s sleep even if Seungmin said he dreamt.

“Seungmin, you said you dreamt while you were gone?” He couldn’t bring himself to say his brother had been dead.

“Yeah, I-“ He groaned, realizing what Hyunjin was saying, “I don’t know, I don’t know. I dreamt.”

“You dreamt.” He echoed, knowing Seungmin was telling the truth.

“So what does that mean?”

“I don’t know.” Was all he could say. It added another complicated thread in the web of lies and not lies he couldn’t even begin to understand. The dead didn’t dream.

“I’m getting tired of asking this, but, what do we do now?” Seungmin asked.

All Hyunjin could do was stare at his hands, shake his head, and say again: “I don’t know.”

* * *

Hyunjin was awoken again by Seungmin.

Sitting up from where he had dozed off at the desk, he could hear his brother’s soft cries from across the room where he was curled up on top of his bed.

“Seungmin?” He called out groggily, standing up, but he didn’t answer.

He pushed Seungmin over so he was sprawled on his back. His expression was pinched as if he were in pain, mouth opening and closing uselessly. He was having a nightmare, Hyunjin realized.

“Hey,” he called, gently shaking him, “Seungmo, wake up.” But he only seemed thrash harder in his grasp. “Seungmin.” He tried again.

“No!” Seungmin cried out, his eyes flying open as he shot straight up, nearly hitting Hyunjin.

“Hey, it’s alright-“

“Get away from me!” He screamed, screwing his eyes shut and shoving Hyunjin off the bed.

He hit the ground with a hard thud, the pain drowned out by his shock. “Seungmin?” He tried reaching for him again, but his brother had curled up tightly into himself again, facing away from Hyunjin.

“Get out.” Came a muffled reply.

“What? Seungmin, what’s wrong?”

“I said get out!”

Dumbfounded, Hyunjin quietly left his twin even though it was against his better judgement to leave his twin alone. Standing alone in the barely moonlit hallway left him feeling empty and hurt. He wanted to yell or cry but couldn’t. Seungmin had never acted that way against him.

His back hit the door and he slid to the ground, defeated and abandoned. He could hear Seungmin crying inside of his room but was afraid of what his brother would do if he tried to see him. Some part of him knew it might be up to only him to fix this mess. Perhaps he had known it for some time already; something had been wrong with Seungmin and he hadn’t realized how deep the issue ran. He had to do something to save them but the pain snaking through his chest only served to remind him how alone he was.

* * *

“What are you doing?”

Hyunjin didn’t spare his cousin a glance as he brushed past him, eyes were set forward resolutely. Last night had been used to think, but now was the time to act. He didn’t have time to waste; his birthday was tomorrow.

A pair of footsteps trailed after his as he headed deeper into the castle, taking staircase after staircase down, ignoring the glances and murmurs from the other nobility about _the new king_. Their whispers almost made him laugh. They knew nothing.

He pushed open a heavy wooden door and descended the damp stairs leading to the castle dungeons. It was cold down here, the air stale and he wrinkled his nose, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He remembered the last time he had come down here: it had been for a game of hide-and-seek nearly ten years ago.

“Your Highness!” The guard at the bottom of the staircase stood at attention, anxiously eying the prince, “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Your keys, please.” He replied, his tone cool.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I don’t think I’m allowed to do that.” The guard said nervously.

“It wasn’t a request. Give me the keys.”

The guard flinched as if he had threatened him, a hand flying up to his head like he was trying to protect himself even though Hyunjin hadn’t moved, but he slowly reached for the keys at his belt with a shaking hand.

“Here they are, Your Highness.”

“Thank you.” He said, choosing to ignore the guard’s near monotone voice, their apparent nervousness disappearing as he past him.

He pulled a lantern off its hook on the wall and strode deeper into the dungeons, sweeping his light back and forth so he could see further inside the dark cells. Some voices cried out for him, pleading for their lives, for the freedom, but he wasn’t here for them.

“Hello again, Your Highness.” Someone crooned and he turned, recognizing their voice.

“Dowon.” Was all he said, stopping in front of his cell.

The other boy looked nearly deranged after spending over a week in the castle dungeons, a chattering shell from the charming fake lord he had met and the assassin that tried to take his life, but his eyes were strangely clear.

“It’s been some time, Your Highness. It seems you’ve changed.”

“Yes, nearly dying does that to a person.”

Dowon laughed but there was no humor in it, “I’m not sorry for what I did and I’d try again if I had the chance to. Nothing personal against you, of course.”

Hyunjin snorted softly, already turning away, “You won’t have to worry about it after tomorrow.” Behind him, Daeseong stilled.

“Oh?” He leaned forward, suddenly much more interested, “Has the high and mighty prince come to some sort of revelation?”

“You could say that.” He sighed, already moving on.

“Hey,” Dowon called, no malice in his words, “You and I don’t like each other, sure, but I think you should know that it was your father that sent me to kill you. He actually told me to kill you and that twin of yours but I never got the chance, did I? Oh well, goodbye, Hyunjin.”

He stopped again and turned, waiting, but Dowon wasn’t lying and all he could was let out a pained laugh, “I’m not surprised.” Was all he said, leaving the assassin behind.

“What was that?” Daeseong hissed, coming to walk by him, “How can you just walk on after that like it’s nothing? What are you even doing down here?”

“I don’t remember asking you to accompany me.”

Daeseong stepped in front of him, blocking his path, “That guy just told you your father tried to kill you.” He whispered, voice pitched high in hysteria, “Hyunjin, please.”

“Daeseong.” He said with forced calmness, “Get out of my way.”

His cousin blinked at him, staring as if he weren’t quite seeing, and with a shudder and shake of his head, the young lord stepped aside and the prince brushed past him again.

Hyunjin found who he was looking for near the back of the dungeons, all of them kneeling and huddled in a single cell, nearly twenty from what he could see, shrinking back from his light.

They stared at him with wide, fearful eyes. They could nearly pass as human, but there was still something about their faces that was not of this world. However, it was the slightly pointed ears peaking out from hair or desperately hidden behind hands that truly gave them away for what they were: faeries.

“Hello,” he said softly, crouching down so he was eye level with them, “My name is Hwang Hyunjin, I’m a prince of the Koguryeo Kingdom. Please, allow me to help you.”

“You’re a monster.” One whispered, staring at him in horror.

All he could do was nod sadly, “You’re right, everything that’s happened to you is because I didn’t stop it and I will spend the rest of my life with that shame. I’m here to make this right, or as right as I can, so please, trust me.” He didn’t wait for an answer as he began to try key after key to unlock the cell door. The lock finally clicked and he opened the door and stepped back to allow the still hesitant faeries to exit.

“Are there any more faeries down here?” He asked, and one nodded, pointing to a cell to his right where another group was trapped. Soon, they joined the other group, now nearly fifty faeries in total.

“Any more?” He asked but a few shook their heads and he nodded, “Follow me please.”

They trailed behind him slowly as he led them out of the dungeons. Some prisoners rattled their cell bars after them, begging for him to free them as well, but he ignored them again.

“Nothing to say?” He asked Daeseong sarcastically as they surfaced from the dark.

His cousin was in step beside him, face devoid of emotion, “You’re insane.” He whispered.

“Excuse me.” A faerie came up behind him, hesitant, eyes squinting from the harsh sunlight after too many days underground, “But where are you taking us?”

“You all were imprisoned wrongly. You deserve to be freed.”

They said nothing, likely trying to gauge how much they could trust him. He didn’t blame them, he was already wrapped in so many lies.

Their crowd attracted many gasps of shock and whispers from the servants and guards they passed but no one attempted to stopped them. There were even a few nods of silent affirmation as they stepped aside to let them through.

Hyunjin turned to the group of faeries when they reached the grand front door of the castle. Pushing them open, sunlight and fresh air streamed in.

“You’re free to go and do as you please,” he said, “I can’t promise that no one will come after you again so please take measures to protect yourselves and your families. I’m sorry this happened to you and I hope that one day, humans and faeries can be allies and friends. All I ask is that for when that time comes, do not hesitate. I promise that change is coming to this castle and kingdom.”

They filed past him slowly, some shooting him looks of suspicion, some whispered words of gratitude and he nodded to each one.

“Thank you.” One whispered, grasping his hands in hers, tears flowing over the light spray of freckles covering her nose and cheeks.

All he could do was nod mutely, knowing he didn’t deserve the praise as the faeries fled from the castle grounds and disappeared into the streets of Shinshi. He wasn’t done yet though.

Turning and straightening with his head held high, he faced the crowd of guards that had gathered behind him as they watched the group of faeries disappear, but with no way to follow as the prince was blocking them. He raised his voice, commanding and every bit of the prince he was, “By orders of the His Royal Highness, Prince Hwang Hyunjin, you and all the guards of the Koguryeo Kingdom are hereby forbidden from persecuting or imprisoning any faerie living peacefully within our borders and continent. If caught, you will be stripped of your place and further punished. Am I understood?”

A ripple of unsettled whispers broke out amongst the crowd but they each bowed in turn towards him. With a single nod, he swept past them, making his way to the castle’s council room, Daeseong still trailing after him quietly. There was a meeting today and all the castle’s lords and ladies would undoubtedly be gathered there.

The herald stationed at the door gaped in surprise at his sudden appearance and scrambled to announce him but he didn’t wait, slamming the heavy wooden doors open. He was met with gasps of surprise from the nobility inside, but he regarded them with a cold glare sweeping past each and every one of them before settling on his father sitting at the far end of the large wooden table.

“Hyunjin,” the king smiled slowly, “How nice of you to join us. Please, take a seat.”

“I won’t be long.” He replied shortly, “I don’t have much to say to any of you, I’m only here because my brother couldn’t be. I’ll be leaving as soon as I’m done.”

The room was dead silent, all of them waiting for the prince to speak, even the king.

“I formally propose an alliance between the Kingdoms of Koguryeo and Silla.” He announced.

He was met with gasps of shock and horror but he continued, “My father has lied to all of us: the faeries of the Silla Kingdom have nothing to do with the disappearance of our kingdom’s patron deity, the moon goddess Dallim. Therefore, there is no reason for us to fear faeries and I sincerely hope that someday, our kingdoms and races can become allies and friends. This is Seungmin’s proposal, but unfortunately, he has fallen ill so I am here in his place. He proposes that we first attempt basic diplomacy with the Sillans with the aid of Koguryeon ambassadors. If that is successful, he suggests that we then move onto opening trade that could mutually benefit both kingdoms and further foster a healthy relationship between us.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Preposterous.”

“Your Highness, how can you say these things?”

He waited for their objections to cease before continuing, “I have reasons to suspect that we humans have wronged faeries dating all the way back to the war between our kingdoms, a war that ended suddenly under mysterious circumstances and terms. Seungmin researched this fact and if he is correct, our father is the only person in our kingdom that knows why the war ended, but quite honestly, I don’t have time to listen to any more of his lies. He has stated, against both mine and my brother’s permission and will, that he will vacate the throne and that we, his sons, are to fight to the death for the position as king tomorrow on our twentieth birthday, the day we become of age, but I will tell each and every one of you here now: I have absolutely no intention of harming my brother. We are one of the same, hurting him is like hurting myself.”

“Your Highness, please reconsider this.”

“You are supposed to lead us!”

A mirthless smile spread across his face, “It appears that many of you wish to see me kill my own brother and I’m not sorry to disappoint. I hope each and every one of you that speaks against me regrets it one day when you are stripped of your titles, power, and wealth. I’m not saying I’ll be the one that does it,” he said easily, “But if I were to become king, I wouldn’t hesitate to tear this court down and rebuild it from the ground up. I have nothing left to say to any of you other than that I hope you regret siding with a liar,” he gestured to the stone-faced king, “For the rest of your pitiful lives.”

Hyunjin let his final words to the nobility of the Koguryeo Kingdom hang heavily in the air as he turned on his heel and strode out of the room and into the sunlit hall. Tomorrow was change, tomorrow was freedom for him, his brother, and his kingdom. He had to be ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was fun to write. As usual, thank you so much for reading, comments and all are appreciated but really, if you're reading this right now, I appreciate you anyway and want to give you a big hug if you're comfy with that <3
> 
> Um, what else. Don't forget to prepare for Kingdom and all, create Naver Accounts, stuff like that, there are lots of guides on Twitter that are helpful. Really really want these boys to win so Stays have to work hard just like our boys are! 
> 
> Vai's unofficial chapter title: "Seungmin's 7 stages of grief"


	5. Grow Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! I hope everyone is doing okay, if not, I hope this chapter makes your day a little bit better but we'll see :D
> 
> TWs listed at the end of chapter due to spoilers, please check before reading this chapter if you feel it is necessary.

“Good morning, Your Highness. Congratulations on becoming of age.”

Hyunjin nodded politely to the maid as she handed him the outfit he was supposed to wear today. It was his birthday.

The maid left and he couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose at the overly stiff white shirt, its collar, sleeves, and front detailed with swirls of silver with white pants to match. It was overly decorative and certainly not the best choice of outfit if he was supposed to participate in a fight. All it did was confirm his suspicion that all of this was some type of sick show, not a true test of power despite his father’s claims. He threw the shirt on his bed.

The pants, at least, were left plain. Tugging them on, he spied the pair of silver keys on still sitting on his desk.

He had never figured out where they went or why his father had them, but he hoped they were important. With a smile, he slipped them into his pocket before selecting a matching white tunic from his wardrobe.

As he was pulling it over his head, a knock sounded at his door.

“Yes?” He called.

“A moment, if you will, Your Highness.” A familiar voice replied.

“Lady Yeonha.” Hyunjin said, opening the door and bowing to the kingdom’s Weapons Master.

She bowed in turn before stepping inside at Hyunjin’s invitation, “Happy Birthday to you, Your Highness, though I do apologize for what this day truly is.”

“Thank you, my lady, but no one is more sorry than I am.”

She nodded sadly before offering him what she had been holding: a sheathed sword, “I was sent to deliver your weapon for today. It was chosen by your father.”

Hyunjin took a polite step back before unsheathing the blade, testing its weight. “An armer sword.” He wondered aloud. It was a one-handed sword, double edged with a sharp point, and slightly longer than his arm. Not his first choice of weapon but it would have to do.

“Correct.” Yeonha hesitated before asking, “Your Highness, may I speak to you not as a member of the kingdom nobility’s, but as someone that cares for both you and your brother very much?”

He blinked, “Of course, my lady.”

She took his free hand in her own, “Hyunjin-ah, I know you have expressed your desire to become king, but please, do not kill Seungmin. You _must_ find another way. It would devastate not only me, but you, if Seungmin were to die today.”

All he could do was smile. He couldn’t bear to see the deep anguish on Yeonha’s face, “Don’t worry, noona. It’s going to work out, I’ll make sure of it.”

The worry didn’t ease from her face, “You as well, I do not wish to see either of you hurt.”

Hyunjin didn’t let his smile falter, “Thank you for your worries, I’ll do my best to keep them at bay.”

“Hyunjin, please.” She pleaded, “Promise me that by the end of this day, you and your brother will be alive and well. I’ve known the both of you since you were children, I wish to see you grow up.”

“You did, noona: I’m an adult today, remember?”

She swallowed and he could see tears beginning to form in her eyes even as she tried to blink them away. Reaching up, she cupped his face with one hand, forcing him to make eye contact, “Be strong today, Hyunjin.” She whispered, studying him carefully, “I know I can’t stop you.” Her hand fell and she turned away to leave.

“My lady,” he called, and she stopped in at the threshold of his room, listening, “I know I told you I would kill for my kingdom, remember?”

“I do.” Her voice sounded small, like she was afraid.

“I meant that, but,” he said, “I would die for my brother.”

He saw her shoulders slump before she drew herself up and faced him again with an unreadable expression, it could have been pride or pain.

“I’ll see you in the skies one day then, Your Highness.”

He laughed a little before smiling sadly at the ground, “Later than sooner, I hope, for both of our sakes. Live well, my lady.”

* * *

The castle was lively today with silver decorations meant to celebrate the twin princes’ birthdays but Hyunjin noticed that no one seemed to remember that today was also meant to be the Two Moons Festival as well. He had not.

There was a small prayer room dedicated to Dallim attached to the west wing of the castle. Not a full temple, but just enough if a member of nobility felt the need to seek the moon goddesses’ guidance. It was empty when Hyunjin stepped inside.

The room was sparse with only a tapestry depicting the night sky and two moons surrounded by bright stars hanging on the far wall. A priest from the main temple in Shinshi had set it up and had kept the room maintained for some time, or so he heard. Hyunjin wasn’t particularly religious; this was one of the few times he had come to this room.

Even so, he found himself kneeling in front of the tapestry, keeping his gaze solidly focused on his clasped hands resting in his lap, “Good morning, my lady,” he murmured, not sure if he was truly praying or not, “I am here to properly give you my thanks for allowing me to live twenty years. I’m not sure where you are, but I’m sure you’ll be found soon. When you are, I look forward to greeting you in the skies. Please welcome me so that I may watch over this kingdom just like you have. Thank you.”

He didn’t have anything else to say, but he didn’t stand or move to leave. Some part of him hoped that his father was searching every corner of the castle to find him for the fight but couldn’t. The fight was inevitable, he just wanted to delay it for as long as possible and even if that only served to annoy his father, that was enough for him.

The door behind him opened but he didn’t move, only smiled at his lap as Seungmin knelt down next to him and whispered his own prayer.

“I didn’t think you were religious.” Hyunjin said, keeping his voice low.

“I’m not,” Seungmin replied, “And neither are you, but I came to see you and it would be rude of me to not pay my respects.”

He didn’t ask how Seungmin knew he was here, especially since he intended to find him after leaving this place. Glancing over, he saw that Seungmin had also rejected the outfit prepared by their father and had chosen a white tunic similar to his. He turned to hide his smile.

“What were you looking for me for?” He asked instead.

“Just wanted to see you, I suppose. It’s an important day.”

He nodded in agreement, “It is.” And he turned to Seungmin with a small, sad smile, “We made it, Seungmin-ah.”

Seungmin gave him his own soft smile, “We did. Thank you for staying by my side.”

“Thank you, too.”

His brother’s gaze turned towards the tapestry, studying it, “Do you think you and I will find each other in the sky one day?”

It wasn’t something he had thought of before. It was their kingdom’s belief, and one that was shared with the faeries of the southern kingdoms as far as he knew, that when one died, their soul would live on as a star in the sky for the rest of time.

“I hope so,” he said, “You’ll find me up there one day, right?”

Seungmin turned to him, confused, “You’re supposed to find me.”

“As long as we’re together though, right?”

“Hyunjin,” Seungmin said, his tone serious, “I’m telling you: you’ll be the one to find me. I’ll be up there soon, just promise that you’ll find me.”

“You can’t be serious,” Hyunjin said in disbelief, “You don’t actually think I’m going to kill you, do you?”

Seungmin stared at him, his expression unreadable, “You’re going to make a great king, Hyunjin.”

He stood up abruptly, “ _No_.” He snapped, beginning to pace, “I’m not. I couldn’t. Not when it means-“ He exhaled heavily, unable to speak as he ran an anxious hand through his hair, “I’d never-“

“Never what, Hyunjin?” Seungmin finally snapped, shooting to his feet with a snarl, “Never prove what everyone already knows? That you’re going to be king? That you _want_ to be king?”

“I’d never _hurt_ _you_ , Seungmin.” He cried, whirling to face his twin, “Not today, not tomorrow, not in a thousand lifetimes: I would never, ever hurt you.”

“You say that here!” Seungmin yelled, stomping closer so that their noses were nearly pressed together, “But do you know what I’ve seen in my dreams, brother? The images that haunt me even when I’m awake?”

Hyunjin never had the chance to respond and even if he could say anything, a lump was lodged in his throat making it impossible for him to speak.

"Today, on this day, Hyunjin,” Seungmin raged on, “I see you standing over my dead body, victorious. The people crown you king and I am dead, forgotten, erased from history with a single blow from your sword, a single stroke of ink and I am gone. You live, you rule, you forget me like I meant nothing to you, like we weren't even brothers and that _terrifies_ me. But you know what's even worse?"

Seungmin’s voice broke and his eyes glistened from unshed tears, "What's worse is how _right_ it all seems. You were always meant to be king, _everyone_ knows this, _I_ know this, because at the end of this day, even _I_ know that I am only a stepping stone for you, a means to your end. and there is _nothing_ I can do to stop it. All I see is _you_ Hyunjin. The prince, the king, my brother, my _better half_ and it all just seems so right. What right do I have to change it? To wish against it? Who am I to fight against the will of the gods and the people?"

What are you saying?" Hyunjin finally burst, unable to hold back, "How can you say these things? Are you giving up on life? On me? On everything we've been through together? How could you?”

"Because it's true” Seungmin said, his voice lowering as he turned away, “And deep down, you know that I'm right. You just can't accept it yet. You're going to kill me and become the king, Hyunjin. It's you, it's _always_ been you."

Hyunjin grabbed his shoulder and gripped them tightly, forcing Seungmin to face him again, "No, it’s _not_ me; it's _us._ Always us. I would never choose anything _but_ us so even if you give up on yourself, I will never, ever, give up on you."

Seungmin pushed him away, holding his head high even as his tears fell, "Say that again when you're standing over my grave and again when you and I meet one day in the skies so that I know it's you.”

"I promise you that I will say it to you again right now and forever if that means you'll get it through your head that you're not dying today." He said, continuing to close the distance Seungmin tried to put between them.

Hyunjin could see his brother’s resolve crumbling, “Please, Seungmin.” He whispered, “Please believe me.”

Seungmin swallowed, hastily brushing away his tears with his white sleeves, “Then say it.” He finally mustered.

"Us." He said immediately, "Always us. Only us. Even after the moon, sun, and stars are gone and the Heavens and Underworld collide, I will never, ever, give up on us. Do you believe me?"

Seungmin stared at him for a long time and Hyunjin could see him turning each and every one of his words in his mind again and again, wondering if he could believe him or not. Hyunjin would wait for forever if that was what he needed.

“I’ve only ever believed you.” He said finally, his shoulders slumping either in relief or defeat, “That’s what made my dreams so scary, they convinced me that it _was_ you.”

“It’s not me.” He was nearly pleading, “Please Seungmin, listen to me: I would never hurt you.”

“I know.” Seungmin sighed, finally giving in, “I know it’s you. The real you. I know you wouldn’t.”

A flood of relief washed over Hyunjin as he pulled Seungmin into a bone crushing hug, finally letting go of his tears and every bit of fear he held leading up to this day. His brother believed in him and that was all the strength he needed to go on. It was just a little bit longer.

“It’s gonna be okay.” He whispered fiercely, holding Seungmin even tighter, “I promise.”

* * *

“Announcing, His Royal Highness, Prince Hwang Hyunjin!”

Hyunjin stepped out from under the stone alcove of the castle entrance and into the sunlight of the outdoor practice yard, sheathed sword held at his side.

The area was centered within the castle walls and for today, it had been turned into an outdoor arena of sorts with the sandy ground in the middle left barren. Tiered wooden benches lined the outer edge of the yard with every window surrounding the enclosed area open for higher viewing. A raised platform had been built opposite of the main entrance with a simple wooden throne set atop, vacant for now.

The large crowd that had gathered to watch him and his brother fight to the death fell silent as he regarded them coldly. There were more people here than he expected but being within the castle walls gave the illusion of there being semblance of privacy from the rest of Shinshi.

The attendees were largely wealthy townspeople or from the nobility if the sheer amount of shining silver everyone was wearing, whether it be pieces of silver jewelry or silver threads lining jackets and skirts. Hyunjin didn’t know if it was supposed to be in dedication to the kingdom, Dallim, or him and his brother, but suddenly, the detailed silver outfit picked for him to wear today made more sense. He was glad he chose not to wear it and even if he did look out of place in his plain white pants and tunic, he had never felt more at ease.

“This way, Your Highness.” The guard in front of him said in a low voice, leading him to the right side of the practice yard. They were given enough space to fight, he supposed, but it didn’t truly matter.

“Announcing, His Royal Highness, “Prince Hwang Seungmin!”

He watched his brother enter from where he had just been, a sheathed armer sword held at his side, and his eyes squinting against the sunlight. Hyunjin frowned, realizing that this was the first time Seungmin had been outside in over a week and a half.

The guard in front of Seungmin led him to the opposite of where Hyunjin was standing. The twins faced one another from across the practice yard and he offered Seungmin a small, comforting smile.

It faded the moment the herald announced his father’s entrance, and the King of the Koguryeo Kingdom was paraded across the yard slowly to his temporary throne. The king’s gaze lingered on him as a taunting smile slowly spread across his face and Hyunjin deliberately unsheathed his sword, matching his father’s wicked grin with one of his own.

“Good afternoon,” the king greeted, “Today, we celebrate the birthdays of my sons, Hyunjin and Seungmin. Please join me in congratulating them both on reaching adulthood.”

The crowd responded with polite applause and he continued, “Today, the Koguryeo Kingdom grows along with the two princes as we are entering a new age of leadership and prosperity. As you all know, we are gathered here today to decide who the next king of our beloved kingdom will be. Once crowned, he will then be tasked with locating Dallim, our missing moon goddess who has been taken from us by the faeries.”

Pain flashed just behind Hyunjin’s eyes but he ignored it in favor of outright glaring at his father, turning his sword in his hand experimentally as a distraction. Someone behind him murmured something about him being rude but it only made him smile as he grit his teeth against the burning in his mind.

“Our next king is to be chosen through a fight to the death so that we can guarantee that our kingdom will be led by the strongest individual possible. I know that this may seem quite harsh, but I assure you all that it is for the best, both for everyone here and for the future of the Koguryeo Kingdom. I know that we are all wishing for us to return to normalcy soon so I will not keep us any longer than I must. Hyunjin, Seungmin, you may begin.” He smiled at them both but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, “May the best prince win.”

Hyunjin snorted softly to himself and even from across the field, he could see Seungmin roll his eyes in exasperation as he unsheathed his sword.

They were both restless and anxious. He hadn’t told Seungmin any specific plan for this moment, but his brother still trusted him and Hyunjin knew that even if he were to betray him in this very moment, if he were to step forward and stab his brother through his chest, slice him to pieces, kill him in any way possible, his twin would still trust him.

The silence was deafening and everyone waiting for one of the princes to move, attack, do anything, but Hyunjin only turned his sword over in his hand again, letting the blade slice through the air, content to let everyone’s unease rise. None of them had once stepped forward to defend him and his brother since their shared nightmare began; he owed them nothing, not a fight, not a show, not even a second glance.

A gust of wind interrupted the stillness in the air and Hyunjin closed his eyes, breathing in deeply as the wind rustled his hair almost playfully. It was enough to make him smile as he opened his eyes again. It truly was a beautiful day.

Still smiling, he met his father’s withering stare as he threw his sword to the ground.

There were gasps all around him as he stepped over the fallen piece of metal, walking slowly to his brother.

Seungmin looked confused, lowering his sword as Hyunjin came closer until he was standing right in front of him, eye to eye, defenseless, and still smiling.

“Here.” He murmured, offering him his sword, “Just do it. Kill me. I don’t care anymore. Please Hyunjin, just kill me.”

His words made Hyunjin choke on his own breath in surprise, his smile dropping in an instant as a cold feeling washed over his mind. He felt his fingertips twitch and nearly reach for the offered blade, but he curled his hands into fists, stopping himself. Breathing out heavily, the chill seeped away slowly, and he laughed softly to himself.

“Sorry, Seungminnie,” he whispered, “I know I usually listen to you, but I can’t today.”

“Hyunjin, please-“

He cut him off with a bone crushing hug, holding him as tight as he could, “It’s gonna be okay, Seungmin. I promised, remember?”

“How can you still say that?”

He pulled back just far enough so that he could rest his forehead against Seungmin’s, “Because it’s me, because I’m your brother and you know I’m not lying. It’s going to be okay.”

Hyunjin felt his brother nod slowly as he closed his eyes, “I would never hurt you,” he breathed, “And I know you would never hurt me either, right?”

“Never.” Seungmin murmured, leaning forward to rest completely against him.

“Remember that for me always. No matter what happens, promise me that you’ll remember that.”

He could feel his brother relax in his embrace as if he were relieved, “I promise. I love you, Hyunjin, you’re going to make a great king.”

Hyunjin opened his, smiling sadly at the peaceful expression on Seungmin’s face, his own eyes closed, “No.” He whispered, “But you will.”

Seungmin’s eyes shot open and they quickly filled with dread, “What?”

“I love you too, Seungmin, more than anything in this world.” Hyunjin smiled at him, “And I’m sorry. I really am. Live well for the both of us.”

“Wait-“

Hyunjin cut him off, pulling away just far enough to seize the blade of Seungmin’s sword in his hands. The sharp edges sliced his fingers open, staining the silver crimson red, before he plunged the blade deep into his own stomach.

Gasping with pain, he let go of the blade and stumbled backwards as the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. He looked down to see a red splotch of blood spreading rapidly across his shirt.

He could vaguely hear the gasps and screams coming from the crowd around him, but all he could focus on was the horror and despair on his brother’s face and the bloody weapon still in his hands, but he wasn’t sorry. Dead men don’t have time for regrets.

Hyunjin smiles at him, victorious. He’s lost everything, but he’s won everything as well. Not everything, he tells himself through the haze: he still had Seungmin.

His sight was beginning to fade but he could still see his brother reaching out for him with one hand, the other was pressed against his side, but he could barely focus anymore. The dark splotches in his vision were growing larger and larger as his body swayed back and forth, close to giving out.

All he could see is Seungmin in his blurry vision, his brother, his better half, always his better half, no matter what the other tried to say. He was trying to say something but Hyunjin couldn’t hear him over the shouting of the crowd or his own failing senses. Even the pain was fading, leaving him oddly warm but perhaps that was just the sunlight.

His legs finally give out from underneath him and he falls backwards, the bright blue of the sky is the last thing he sees before his vision goes black.

He wants to tell Seungmin that he loves him again, that this isn’t his fault, that’s he’s at peace, or just see him smile one more time, but all he can do is count his final breaths until the very last one, and with one final apology on his lips, he’s gone.

Around his body, the crowd is still shouting and cheering, over and over again:

_Long live the king._

* * *

In his dreams, he visits the silver garden again.

The dark figure from before stands by his side this time, observing the endless fields of ghostly flowers before them.

“Go home, little prince.” They murmur, not looking at him, “It’s not yet your time.”

Hyunjin shakes his head, “It’s not my home anymore. I have nowhere to go except for the skies.”

“The gods aren’t done with you yet.” They reply, unmoving.

He frowns, reaching for one of the flowers but the petals slip through his fingers completely as if he had never touched them. The dark figure seems to chuckle.

“You don’t belong here yet, little prince. Go back.”

“And do what?” He asks, even as his vision begins to fade once again.

“Live.”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Death, Suicide, Blood, Violence
> 
> So.... thoughts? I would like to let everyone know right now that I enjoy writing angst perhaps a little bit too much fdjsfdksl. Haha, I hope you're enjoying this fic, there's still a long way to go so don't worry! 
> 
> Vai's unofficial chapter title: the one where hyunjin should've stabbed the king instead *insert disappointed emoji here*
> 
> That's a mood.


	6. Take Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS CHAPTER AHAHAHAHA, things get really fun now, you'll see :D
> 
> TW // Violence, Kidnapping, Stealing, Guns, (idk if these should be TWed but I try to stay on the safe side of things, if you think there is a TW I missed then please, please let me know in the comments or you can dm me on Twitter @introspearone)
> 
> Also, a general warning for a slight increase in cursing just in case. 
> 
> Much love to you, thank you for being here on this journey <3

The _Levanter_ sailed silently through the inky black waters, close to the rocky coast but still hidden from sight.

Chan spied the distant lights of a small town up ahead and he raised his hand to signal for Jisung to steer them closer to the shoreline. A fresh gust of wind filled their sails and ruffled his dark curls as they drifted closer to their target.

Though only a seaside port town, it had recently grown more prominent after establishing a trade deal with a few flour mills closer to the continent’s capital, Shinshi, in return for fresh fish, or at least that’s what Jisung and Changbin had been able to glean from reading the wind and waters within the past few days as they continued sailing farther down the eastern coast of the continent.

The market for everyday goods was rather high at the moment, most of them being shipped farther north as far as Chan knew, but he didn’t bother to learn every trade route out there, just the most profitable ones. The _Levanter_ wasn’t a trade ship anymore, it was a pirate ship.

“Orders, Captain?” Changbin murmured, voice low as he joined Chan at the prow.

“Tell Jisung to pull us just outside the docks,” he said, “Close enough for us to land but we need to be ready to get out fast once we’re done.”

His Bind nodded but didn’t move, “We’ll be okay hitting this town, right hyung?” He asked, worry undercutting his words, “The waters around here have been busy.”

Chan hummed, casting him a wry smile, “Wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t sure we’d all get out of here alright, Bin. Don’t worry.”

The spirit nodded sharply once before slipping away to relay his orders to Jisung who was still at the helm.

As they drew closer, Chan scanned the town one last time. Changbin’s words hadn’t worried him, but he always made sure that their raids wouldn’t end badly for them. He wasn’t interested in taking innocent lives, but as long as he could confirm he and his crew would make it out alive, not much else mattered to him.

Breathing in the night air deeply, he could feel the lives of his crewmates pulsating behind him, two small lights that wouldn’t be going out anytime soon, he knew, and as far as he could tell, no one in the town up ahead would be dying tonight either. Their raid was clean for now, he hoped it stayed that way.

They were closing in on the docks quickly and Chan joined his crewmates by the ship railing, all of them making their final preparations before the jump. Over the dying wind, he could hear a click as Changbin readied his gun alongside the silhouette of Jisung beside him, fingers drumming on the hilt of his cutlass.

“Look there, Captain.” Jisung muttered, nodding towards the docks.

Chan narrowed his eyes, scanning up ahead where a dark figure was rushing up the docks towards them: they had been spotted.. “No worries.” He replied, voice low, “Sung, as soon as we get close enough, jump off and grab him but don’t hurt him unless he tries to make things difficult. Changbin, stay with me. Their stores are right next to the docks so we’ll just have to be quick.”

His first mate and quartermaster nodded and Jisung leapt over the ship’s railing as soon as he could with Chan and Changbin following soon after.

They waited, watching Jisung rush at the single dock worker who tried to run but was unsuccessful. In seconds, the faerie had him with his blade pressed against his exposed throat to keep him quiet.

Chan swept past them with Changbin close at his heels. The town would no doubt take notice of the mysterious ship at the edge of their docks at any moment. The odds that they could overpower him and his crew were low, close to nonexistent, but Chan still preferred to run the safe route. The less people that saw them, the better.

They reached the dock storeroom set just in between the main dock and the rest of the town, its inhabitants still unaware of their presence. A heavy lock and chain secured the large wooden door.

He turned and waved a hand at Jisung behind him as Changbin fully cocked back his gun, taking careful aim at the chain. The wind around them picked up in a wave barreling towards the small town that screeched loud enough to mask the sound of a gunshot and Chan felt himself grinning; Jisung was still the most powerful faerie he had ever met.

Beside him, he heard Changbin’s gun click as he pulled the trigger and with a small burst of light, the chain and lock fell to the ground, metal scorching, and they pulled the doors open.

Chan let out a low whistle as they stepped inside, his dark eyes scanning the loaded shelves. It was a rather impressive stock, much more than just the flour he was expecting, though there were heavy bags of it in abundance. There were bolts of cloth, bottles of alcohol, and large sacks of rice strewn about from what he could tell.

Changbin had ventured deeper into the store and Chan heard him gasp, “Hyung, look!” He said, turning around excitedly, ripping open the corner of the bag he was holding.

Chan peered inside and couldn’t help but grin. Inside was a pile of delicate snow white crystals: sugar. That alone was worth its weight in gold on the seas.

“Grab as many as you can,” he ordered, reaching for the bolts of cloth leaning against the wall, “We only have time to make a few trips so make them count.”

They ran back and forth up and down the dock, rushing past Jisung and the dock worker who looked outright terrified of the three but wisely didn’t make a sound. The storehouse wasn’t completely empty by the time Chan signaled for them to return to the ship, but they had spent enough time here already, it was time to go.

As Chan passed the last bag of flour up to Changbin, he heard Jisung behind him mutter something in the dock worker’s ear before slammed the hilt of his sword against his temple and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Soon, they were all reassembled on the deck and Chan took the helm. With a new burst of wind in their sails, the _Levanter_ sailed off into the darkness under the faint light of the moon.

* * *

“Hyung, look!” 

“Jisung, what the fuck.”

Chan sighed. It was still the dead of night, but they had finally moved all of their new goods from the deck downstairs into the hold. Their haul had been impressive, much more than any of them were expecting from a town as small as it had been, but the regular nuisance that followed any raid was what his first mate would bring aboard afterwards.

Jisung had an odd habit of stealing anything he could get his hands on and in their line of work, it wasn’t necessarily a bad trait, but he always seemed to bring back things that weren’t exactly profitable. In their last raid, he had somehow found the time to remove the corks from every single bottle of liquor he could get his hands on at a tavern and brought them all back with a rather cheeky grin, ignoring the fact that he could have just taken the bottles themselves.

Chan suspected he only did it to annoy Changbin, their unfortunate quartermaster, who was always stuck dealing with attempting to divide their shared profits evenly between them without the addition of whatever Jisung brought back who always insisted he share with them, _just to be fair_ , he always said.

“You stole his _glasses_?” The spirit cried, exasperated

“Come on, they were in his back pocket, what did you expect me to do?” Jisung asked, shoving them in Changbin’s face.

“You could have _not_ stolen them.” Chan interjected gently in an attempt to keep his brothers from starting a brawl when there were too many things they could break nearby.

“I’m not dividing that.” Changbin said shortly, cutting him off before he could say anything, “Throw it in your corner and keep it.”

“Come on, hyung.” Jisung whined, “You gotta, it’s your job.”

“Hyung,” he said, turning to Chan, “I want a new job.”

Chan grinned helplessly, shrugging, “You two can switch jobs if you want.” The roles themselves were somewhat ornamental even though they fulfilled their obligatory tasks. It kept the both of them in equal power aboard the ship, nearly as much as Chan himself, but if he was being honest with himself, they were mostly there to keep them from complaining and to keep balance between the three.

Changbin scoffed at his suggestion, “No way, hyung, he’d give me all the weird shit if you make him quartermaster.”

Jisung nodded sagely next to him, “I would totally give you all the weird shit. You want some bottle corks?”

“Fuck no.”

“Okay,” Chan said, clapping his hands once to get their attention, “Bed, both of you.” His suggestion was met with their combined whining.

“But _hyung_.”

“We’re not done sorting all of this though.”

Chan snorted. At least Changbin had the idea of using work as an excuse, “I’ll take care of it, get going, you two.”

“Seriously,” Jisung said, finally sobering up, “Let us help and then we can all sleep.”

He waved them both off, “There’s not that much left to put up, besides, I’m taking first watch tonight.”

“I’ll take second and stay up until dawn.” Changbin offered quickly.

“And I’ll take first watch tomorrow.” Jisung added.

Chan couldn’t help but smile, they could be exasperating but they were still good kids, even though Changbin and his almost twenty-one years would argue that he wasn’t a kid anymore.

“Alright, off you go, then” He said, shooing them both down the hall to their shared cabin. With their below deck space occupied with stolen goods most of the time, it was easiest for them to share a single room and a few hammocks.

They left him with a few yawns and sleepy wishes goodnight, both more tired than they had realized, but Chan had noticed the slowly drooping eyelids and fatigued jabs at one another even though they tried to act otherwise.

With the hold silent save for the sound of water rushing against the side of the ship, he set to work sorting the last of their goods, stashing away a few bags of sugar for them to keep. He finished quickly, blowing out the last few candles before wandering down the hall to check on the others before going above deck.

He opened the door. Jisung was already asleep, the faerie swaying along lightly in his hammock with the movement of the ship, but Changbin’s hammock was empty beside him along with his own. Chan spotted the spirit hunched over at their shared writing desk in the corner with a feather grasped tightly between his fingers, a single candle lit beside him.

“I’m going to bed soon, hyung, promise.” He said without turning.

“Make sure to leave that out to dry.” Was all he said, remember how many times all of them had folded a letter before the ink had dried. His Bind nodded, still writing, and Chan shut the door.

He surfaced from below deck, content to watch over the ship and his brothers until sunrise despite Changbin calling to take over for him later. Gauging the single moon in the sky, it was only a few hours until dawn anyway, not worth waking the other, he decided.

None of them knew what to make of the single moon in the sky. It was Jisung who had discovered it first after he took the first night shift nearly two weeks back. His first mate had burst into their cabin just as Chan had begun to drift off to sleep and for a horrifying moment, he had thought they were under attack. The three of them had spent the entire night staring at the sky, waiting for the second moon to appear, but it never did. The suns rose together the next day like they always did, but Dallim hadn’t risen since.

Even though Chan didn’t know the moon goddess personally, the night sky still felt empty with just one moon, but it wasn’t for him to find her. The other gods were likely already searching, alerted by the prayers of the people of this world, a few that had been muttered by Chan and Jisung themselves as they stalked the decks up and down at night. They both knew better than to ask Changbin to pray to any god.

At the helm, he positioned the _Levanter_ to sail south and set to. After a successful string of raids down the Koguryeon coast, they were well stocked and Chan decided it was time for them to stop by Cheju, sell what they could, and start over again. It was how he had spent the past few years of his life and there wasn’t anything he would change about it.

Shortly after the suns began to rise, painting the sky an expanse of reds and oranges, the wind began to slowly pick up and fill their sails, pushing the _Levanter_ onwards quickly and Chan smiled even though he had to grab the railing to stay on his feet; Jisung was awake.

“Changbin’s gonna be pissed.” He said by way of greeting, surfacing a few minutes later and still rubbing his eyes.

“Good morning to you too, Sungie.” Chan laughed softly, running a hand through the faerie’s sleep mussed hair.

He smiled sleepily, “Morning, hyung.”

Despite having just woken up, he suddenly snapped awake in an instant, grabbing Chan’s arm and yanking him down just as a wooden bucket sailed over their heads, aimed right where his head had just been.

“Hyung, what the fuck.” Changbin grouched, rubbing his eyes like Jisung had just moments earlier, “You were supposed to wake me up.”

“Language.” He reprimanded absentmindedly as he handed the spirit his bucket back, not actually caring, just wanting them to all start the day off right, “You can make it up to me by fixing the rigging for the day, we’re going to Cheju.”

“And I’ll take first watch tonight.” He promised, moving past them towards the main mast.

“Second watch,” Jisung corrected him, “I’m taking first watch.”

“Second watch, fine.” Changbin called over his shoulder as he tugged at several lengths of rope, “And Channie-hyung is sleeping all night.”

“And I’m going to pray to your Saints.”

Changbin whipped around to pin the faerie with an incredulous look, “You’re gonna _what_?”

“Oh, I thought we were saying things that would never happen.” Jisung replied, ducking out of the way of Changbin’s thrown bucket.

“I’m going to confiscate that bucket someday.” Chan sighed, picking it up again. He knew Changbin had more but it didn’t hurt to try.

“Wait, hyung no, I need that.”

“Then stop throwing it at us.” He scolded, handing it back to Changbin who held it gingerly.

“Come on hyung, don’t be mad.” Jisung called as he pulled himself up the ratlines, climbing towards the crow’s nest.

The quartermaster muttered something under his breath as he adjusted the last few small sails and Chan shook his head with a fond smile as he climbed the stairs back to the upper deck. With the wind always blowing in their favor, they should reach Cheju in a few days.

The _Levanter_ was a small ship, sleek and agile, one of the fastest on the seas with the combined power of a wind faerie and water spirit behind it, a rare combination considering how few spirits were left in the world.

Chan knew Changbin was only half-spirit, the other part of him was faerie, but he had grown up with only his mother, a full-blooded spirit, and learned his magic from her. He didn’t look much like a faerie either, his ears were soft and rounded unlike Jisung’s delicate points. It wasn’t their only difference.

If faerie magic centered around how they controlled the world around them, then spirit magic focused on the communication between themselves and nature.

Or, that’s what Chan thought. Sometimes, he was more inclined to believe that Changbin’s magic wasn’t magic at all, just how he chose to live in the world, or maybe it was only testament to how many spirits Chan knew: very few.

He watched Changbin as he leaned over the railing, using his bucket for what he did every day, several times a day.

His quartermaster would take any extra length of rope he could find and hitch it to his bucket before throwing it over the edge of the ship, dragging it through the water. A moment later, he would pull up the bucket and spend the next several minutes dipping his hand in the sea water, letting it run through his fingers, over and over again, simply _listening_. He told Chan once that water was full of memories, that’s all he could see.

_“Water is really old, hyung.”_ He told Chan once, _“It’s seen a lot of things, knows a lot of things. There’s lots of things to do with water, magic or not, but it can tell you a lot if you just listen. That’s all I’m really doing.”_

Sometimes, he would report to Chan if the stretch of water they were on told him anything they should worry about, like if there were any ships ahead. He could sometimes tell who was on the ship if Jisung with the wind whispering in his ears didn’t beat him to it.

_“Faeries and spirits aren’t so different.”_ Jisung sometimes said, Changbin usually agreeing with him, which under any circumstance would be concerning.

Chan supposed they weren’t wrong if a faerie could learn a spirit’s magic like Jisung did. Changbin had taught him years ago when they had first begun sailing together. All Chan remembered was there being a lot of yelling, a few near fist fights, and somehow the two of they came out the other end of it as best friends.

He didn’t even truly know _how_ Jisung was able to learn a different magic and he didn’t think Changbin quite knew either, but he had done his best.

_“It’s like trying to teach someone a language I don’t even know.”_ He used to complain.

Jisung had attempted to teach Changbin more about faerie magic, but the spirit had refused, claiming he knew well enough how to control water, but it just didn’t feel natural to him. Still, Chan sometimes wondered if his quartermaster’s mixed bloodline gave way to a different type of magic, not one any of them could pinpoint since using magic was like breathing for all of them.

They were each something a bit different, he supposed, especially as he watched Jisung wander in circles in the crow’s nest up high where the winds were stronger, listening to it the same way Changbin listened to the water. He knew his first mate wasn’t fond of heights, but he always claimed the wind was clearer when he was that high in the air.

_“The wind is like my friend.”_ Jisung would tell him if Chan asked, _“It’s always whispering. Sometimes it’s mischievous, sometimes it’s helpful, but all of it sounds like whispers in my ear.”_

He supposed it was why he could never sneak up behind his youngest, the wind worked against him and alerted Jisung before he could try anything. It was certainly helpful to have in a fight when the threat of a gun aimed at your back from far off was forever present, especially when he combined it with his faerie magic, controlling and bending the air around him as he pleased. Chan had never known a time when Jisung hadn’t walked around without a gentle windstorm surrounding him. He felt it every time he leaned in for a hug.

“Captain.”

Changbin’s low voice startled Chan out of his thoughts. His Bind had joined him on the upper deck, bucket empty at his side, and with a grim frown.

“What is it?” He asked, matching his serious tone.

“There’s a ship ahead of us, a little less than a day out.”

Chan frowned, “Do you think they’re hostile?”

The spirit shook his head, “I don’t know,” he admitted, “But I’m almost certain it’s a Koguryeon ship.”

“A Koguryeon ship,” Chan repeated, “Heading south.”

“Yes,” Changbin replied slowly, “But I can keep checking the water to make sure.”

“Yeah, if you don’t-“

“Humans!” Jisung yelled from the crow’s nest, their attention snapping towards him, “Up ahead, humans are heading south, same direction as us!”

“We got it, Sungie.” Chan called back, hands cupped around his mouth, watching the faerie scurry back down the ratlines.

“Humans heading south.” He said again, joining them breathlessly, “Why are there _humans_ going south. All they’re gonna find are pirates and faeries.”

“They’re going to die.” Changbin said by way of agreement.

Chan didn’t say anything. The southern continent wasn’t safe for humans, and Cheju and the open seas weren’t safe for anybody. He didn’t truly care why humans were going south, it wasn’t his business.

He was about to tell his crew to ignore the human ship when suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. They were far from the ship ahead, but close enough that he could sense something amiss. Something unnatural, something familiar to him. It wasn’t anything the wind, water, or world could tell him, but he _knew_.

“How fast can we catch up?” Chan asked, glancing at Jisung.

The faerie frowned, likely wondering why his captain wanted to give chase all of a sudden, “I can get us there in a few hours, four at the most.”

“Do it.” And without a word, his first mate was at the helm as their sails filled with fresh, strong wind.

“What are you doing, Captain?” Changbin asked, stumbling as the _Levanter_ surged forward.

Chan grabbed his arm to steady him, “We need to catch up to that ship.”

“Sure, fine, but _why_?”

“We just do.” He said, determined, but Changbin grabbed his arm, still not satisfied.

“Chan, what is it?”

He shook his head, but as they got closer and closer, the feeling got stronger and he knew: there was something on that ship that shouldn’t exist, someone like him.

“ _Chan_.”

“A half-god.” He said, staring hard into the horizon as if what he was looking for would suddenly appear, “There’s a half-god on that ship.”

* * *

“It’s just up ahead.” Jisung called, nearly three hours later.

“I see it!” Changbin yelled from where he was stationed in the crow’s nest above.

Chan nodded, trusting his crewmates' judgements, “Jisung, bring us in close as soon as you can, we want to take them by surprise if we can. Both of you get ready to board.”

He received confirmations from the both of them, but he couldn’t help but notice how heavily Jisung was leaning against the helm and he frowned in concern. It must’ve been too soon after their last raid for him to push his magic like he was.

“Go get ready,” he ordered, gently prying his fingers from the helm and taking it over, “Then rest until we board.”

“I’ll keep the wind up.” Jisung replied with a tired salute as he stumbled below deck to find his weapons.

Chan spotted the dark spot of a distant ship on the horizon moments later, dread filling his stomach as they drew closer and closer: death loomed over that ship like a dark cloud. That feeling added with the presence of a half-god was nearly overpowering. He thought he knew every half-god in this world, but apparently, he did not.

Checking his crewmates quickly, he could feel their lives pulsating strongly, one below him where Jisung was wandering, the other dropping onto the deck as Changbin cast his bucket into the sea for one final check. They would be fine, it would only be a little extra blood on their hands at the end of the day. That, and hopefully some answers.

He joined them both on the main deck as Jisung resurfaced from below, looking more alert now.

“No prisoners.” He informed them grimly.

Changbin snorted softly even as he frowned, “We’ve never taken prisoners, Captain.” But he knew what he meant: there would be no survivors and they would be responsible for that.

They were close enough now that Chan could see the sailors’ rising panic as they noticed the approaching ship. They weren’t flying any colors, there was no way for them to tell if the _Levanter_ was friendly or hostile. If they didn’t figure it out soon enough, then Chan’s job would be done sooner than later,

They swung around the ship’s side and Chan watched as Jisung pushed off the deck railing where he had been perched in waiting. He swung over on a rope from their ship to the other, rolling into his landing before springing up and drawing his cutlass. Changbin was close behind him with a gun in hand, already taking aim even before his feet hit wood.

Chan steadied the _Levanter_ , ignoring the screams and gunshots as he jumped from his ship to the other, forgoing a rope entirely.

He rolled into the momentum like Jisung had, narrowly missing more than a few pools of blood. Springing to his feet, he drew his own cutlass and began cutting down anyone his crewmates had left.

The crew itself was smaller than Chan was expecting, likely only just enough to keep the ship going according to human standards, and soon, they all lay dead at his feet. Death surrounded him but it didn’t bother him, it was almost close to natural, even.

“Where are they?” Changbin asked, coming to stand beside him.

“Below.” He said, leading the way,

The ship’s hold was nearly barren. A few sacks of rations were pushed to the far right side but Chan ignored them, heading straight for the large wooden box alone in the back of the ship’s storage space. Everything told him that this was it, this is what he was looking for.

“The box?” Changbin wondered aloud.

“Why the fuck would they put someone in a box.” Jisung muttered, giving it a light kick.

“Are they trying to hide or something?”

Chan shook his head, the same dread from earlier filling him. Death seeped from the box, but he didn’t get the same feeling as he had from the ship as a whole. A half-god with death clinging to them like a second skin; it couldn’t be anything good and a seed of regret took root in his mind. He knew that whoever was in that box would bring problems with them that Chan wasn’t prepared for, but he couldn’t back down. There was the same draw to the person that he had felt when he first met Changbin and Jisung. He hadn’t known them, but he knew he couldn’t leave them behind.

Using his sword, he loosened the lid and pried it off the box, prepared to greet whoever was in there with a smile and invitation aboard the _Levanter_ , but the words caught in his throat as soon as he saw: the person inside the box was dead.

It was a boy, young, close to Jisung’s nineteen years if Chan had to guess. Handsome to the point of ethereal with long black hair and dressed in a simple white tunic and matching pants, but the white was stained with the deep red of dried blood. It was darkest at his stomach, likely where the wound the boy died from was located.

“ _Shit_.” Jisung breathed next to him, peering down into the box.

“He’s dead.” And Changbin sounded like he was in shock.

“No.” Chan muttered, “He’s not dead. He is, but he’s not.”

It was the way death was desperately clinging onto him, trying to sink its claws into his soul and drag it down to the Underworld, but couldn’t. Life still pulsating within him, faint but slowly returning. He was dead, but he wouldn’t stay that way. He was like him, he was like, Changbin, he was like Jisung.

“He’s not dead.” He said again, reaching into the box to gather him in his arms, “He’s Bound.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think? Lots of information and world building in this chapter hahaha, I hope you liked it
> 
> And my favorite part *drum roll*
> 
> Vai's unofficial chapter titles (BC WE GET TWO THIS WEEK): "OH MY FUCKING GOD IT'S THE BOX CHAPTER" and "it's a bird, it's a plane, it's hyunjin dead in a box, and pain"
> 
> VAI I'M ON THE GROUND. For context, I like to give Vai out of context spoilers and one of them was about a character in a box but I never told her who was in the box until now and she's been trying to guess for like, a straight month and then this chapter happened. BUT PLEASE THOSE TITLES HELP.


	7. Inception

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hello, hope you're all doing well! Ok, this is probably my favorite chapter so far, so I hope you enjoy it lots!
> 
> TW // violence, mentions of death, mentions of suicide, weapons

“Hyung, what are we even doing?” Jisung said, scowling as he helped Changbin rig an extra hammock in their cabin. 

“I don’t know.” Chan admitted, standing off to the side with the boy still folded in his arms. 

They returned to the  _ Levanter  _ and had thrown more than a few alcohol soaked rags and lit matches onto the other ship, watching it go up in flames. One strong gust of wind in its burning sails sent it back north where it came. 

Jisung had been muttering and shooting sharp glances at the boy ever since they resurfaced into the open air, wind whipping through his hair and picking at his clothes. 

“This isn’t going to end well for us.” He warned, tying the last rope into place.

Chan knew. He had just brought a stranger onto his ship who was not only a half-god, but he was also Bound. The gods must be laughing at him in the Heavens, sending him someone like this, someone who undoubtedly had more problems than what Chan needed in his life. He knew this, but he still took him in because he knew: if he didn’t intervene, then that boy would only suffer. Alone. He was already suffering from what Chan could tell, and he could never leave someone like that behind, gods help him. 

“I’m not questioning your decision,” Jisung was going on, “I trust you, you know that, but all I’m saying is that he’s trouble we don’t need.”

“What do you suggest we do, Han?” Changbin asked sarcastically.

“We could get rid of him.” He shrugged. “As soon as possible. Now, even.”

Chan had just laid the boy in the hammock, but spun to face the faerie with a raised eyebrow, “We can’t just throw him overboard.”

“Hyung, you can’t be serious, we aren’t monsters.” Jisung said, horrified, “I meant we can drop his ass at the next port or something. Damn.”

“Don’t think so.” Changbin cut in, “The closest port is Cheju and do we really wanna leave a Koguryeon there on his own?”

“Yes?”

“Jisung!”

“What?”

“Of all places, we can’t leave someone there.”

“Then the next port.” He argued.

“Jisung,” Changbin groaned again, “Every port after that is faerie. Sillan. The odds he survives even a day there are only slightly higher than if we were to leave him in Cheju.”

“I’m telling you, something bad is going to happen if we keep him.”

“And something tells me that something worse will happen if we leave him behind.” Chan interjected quietly, “And that he is here for a reason.”

Call it a feeling or some divine power, and perhaps it was both, but Chan had always had an uncanny sense of the world and an even more uncanny sense for the ones like him: the magical, the Bound, and the half-gods. His intuition had never failed him before, or perhaps he had gotten rather good at taking whatever the gods threw at him and turning it for the best, but all of it had earned him his freedom and the trust of his crew. 

It was why Jisung only let out a short huff before sweeping out of the cabin with no further argument: even if the faerie didn’t always agree with him, he meant it when he said he trusted Chan. They both knew this boy could only be trouble, but Jisung would follow Chan to the ends of the world and up to the skies if he asked. 

Changbin’s annoyed sigh brought him back to the present. The spirit seemed agitated, “What do you think of this kid?” He asked, gesturing impatiently towards the boy, now dressed in a clean white tunic free of bloodstains, but they couldn’t find a pair of shoes or pants that would fit him.

“Kid?” Chan couldn’t help but grin wryly at his Bind.

He snorted, “Come on, hyung, look at him. There’s no way he’s older than me, he’s probably around Jisung’s age.”

“And you’re only a year older than Jisung.”

“That’s not the point,” he said, brushing him off even as his ears were tinged a soft pink. He grew more serious, “You’re sure he’s Bound, though?”

“Yeah,” Chan said softly, “No doubt about it.” Even as they were speaking, he could see death slowly seeping out of the boy, falling to the floor and returning to the Underworld. It couldn’t get a good enough grip on his soul to drag it down with it. Life still pulsated in the boy, not quite a heartbeat yet, but it would be enough to bring him back.

“And no idea who he could be Bound to?” Changbin asked cautiously.

Chan laughed ruefully, “Bin, if I could tell who someone was Bound to, we wouldn’t still be searching for Jisung’s Bind.”

“That poor bastard.” He said, shaking his head. They didn’t know who their first mate was Bound to, had been searching for them for years now, but they did know that whoever it was had been put through more pain than any being should ever be put through and Jisung was the living and dying proof. 

“Do you think we should start our search for them again? Not that we ever really stopped, but we haven’t really tried lately either. Kinda sucks to have your whole life connected to someone else’s but you don’t even know what they look like, you know?”

“I don’t know,” Chan sighed, running a hand through his curls, “But you’re right. For both of their sakes. Can’t image what life they’re living. We can ask Jisung soon if he wants to try again.”

Changbin let out a harsh laugh, crossing his arms over his chest, “I guess we’re just in the business of saving people now, aren’t we?”

“Let’s not make it a habit.” He said decisively, even though they both knew Chan would save anyone if he thought they were worth it.

“Sure, sure.” He smiled, bit it fell as his gaze landing on the desk in the corner and the pile of letters on top, all of them written in a handwriting not belonging to anyone aboard the  _ Levanter _ . “Plans for now, Captain?”

“Cheju still.” Chan replied immediately, “Then after that, I don’t know.” His quartermaster frowned and he went on hurriedly, “It may depend on our new friend, he should wake up pretty soon.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“He will.” He replied, confident, “It’s slow, slower than it is with Jisung, but he’s coming back. I give it a few days at most.”

“Yeah, but he isn’t like Jisung usually is, he’s the one that actually did the whole dying part of this.”

“You’re right,” he sighed, “And you’re the only one out of the three of us that’s been in his shoes.”

“We couldn’t find a new pair of shoes for him on board, hyung, how can I be in his shoes?”

Chan almost laughed despite himself, “Then buy him a pair at Cheju. Some new pants, too, he’s tall.”

Another slow nod from Changbin and Chan felt himself smiling, knowing the spirit wanted to ask something but was hesitating, “You want to go to Silla?” He asked, thinking back to the pile of letters. 

“Yeah, kind of, if we can.” Changbin said, smiling sheepishly.

“We can.” Chan promised, “We will.”

“Thanks, hyung.” His smile grew brighter, “I know you said we’re not going into the business of saving people, but,” his voice trailed off and oh.

“If there’s someone you’d like to find in Silla, they’re more than welcome here.” He said gently, not missing how his Bind’s smile somehow grew even wider. 

“Maybe.” He said, nearly breathless with excitement, “Yeah, we might. If I, I mean, if we, can. Thanks again, hyung!” And he turned, rushing out of the room hopefully to go find Jisung.

* * *

The  _ Levanter  _ was on track to land in Cheju by early afternoon, perfect timing. Every tavern on the small island port would slowly be filling with merchants looking to buy goods that they could sell in turn. 

It was an innocent enough face for the island, but of course the merchants never let it slip that they were selling pirated goods and it made the process easier for everyone. 

Common courtesy also held many back from letting whispers of the darker underground markets of Cheju reaching the human and faerie mainlands: the slave trade and assassination circuit, both of which stemmed from the large population of pirates that occupied the port. It may as well be a wanted man’s haven. 

Chan didn’t know if the Sillans or Koguryeons would attempt to shut the place down, but he wisely decided a long time ago to stick strictly to stealing and killing if the event called for it and come back here only when necessary. Nothing overly cruel about his lifestyle, it was just a means to an end.

It didn’t stop anyone from politely and not politely requesting for him to take on an intentional kill, but he refused each time. Maybe they could sense how death hung over him like a shroud, urging them to approach him even more for jobs like those, but he wouldn’t pin it on that alone. It wasn’t as if the  _ Levanter  _ wasn’t infamous in its own right: a wildly successful pirate ship rumored to be captained by a half-god. They knew his face, they knew his crew, and they knew his ship well enough to keep their distance save for a few brave souls.

“Hyung! Captain!” 

Chan turned to where his Bind was standing at the ship railing, a water filled bucket in his hands and wearing a nearly face splitting grin, “The  _ Wonderland  _ sailed through here not long ago. They’re headed for Cheju.” 

He matched the spirit’s smile as the wind picked up around them in frenzied excitement; Changbin’s words had floated up to Jisung in the crow’s nest.

It would be exciting to see that crew, one of the many the  _ Levanter  _ was on friendly terms with. He could hear Changbin almost cheering, undoubtedly looking forward to seeing his friend Wooyoung, a fire spirit.

To this day, Chan still didn’t know how Hongjoong had convinced a forest faerie, two fire faeries, and two fire spirits to abandon land and all things warm and dry to sail with him, but it made the  _ Wonderland  _ a fearsome and unique crew led by another rumored half-god. 

Perhaps the two crews remained as close as they were through their shared secrets. 

“Jisung,” Chan called up to his first mate, watching as his head pop out from the crow’s nest, “Me and Changbin will go into Cheju, but I need you to stay back and watch the ship.” And their new friend, but he didn’t say that aloud and if either wanted to comment how all three of them usually went into Cheju at the same time, they wisely chose not to.

Ever since bringing the mysterious stranger aboard, Jisung had become more drawn into himself, was less talkative, and more prone to lashing out at his brothers more often than not and Chan was worried that if he brought him into Cheju, he would start a fight in the streets the moment they landed. He’d take the childish antics now if it saved him from having to physically drag him out of a fight later, but all his first mate did was give a lazy affirmative salute before he swung himself out of the crow’s nest and down the ratlines, immediately making a beeline for Changbin as soon as his feet hit the deck. Chan didn’t know if it was to annoy the spirit or request a specific snack be brought back for him from the more legal markets in Cheju.

It was routine at this point for them to go into Cheju and hop from tavern to tavern together until they found a decent buyer and sell their ship’s wares. From there, Changbin would go farther into town to restock food and supplies with their newly acquired funds while Chan would stay behind and listen for any useful info or new trade lines they could exploit. Sometimes he would reconnect with an old friend or acquaintance if he was lucky. 

Jisung was, as always, more of a wildcard. Sometimes he would go with Changbin and come back with an odd assortment of goods, some of them likely stolen, or he might stay with Chan and share a drink with him. Cheju tended to ignore his first mate’s nineteen years since it made them a little extra gold, but they also ignored the murder negotiations going on in the corner as well, so Chan wasn’t exactly surprised that they would also disregard the legal drinking age. 

Sometimes, he went out on his own, letting the whispering wind take him wherever, and Chan’s only rules were for him to stay out of any conflict, not cause any conflict, and make it back to him, Changbin, or the ship, by the time the moons were overhead, or the single moon now, he supposed. Jisung had never once flouted curfew thankfully, but at least for this stop Chan wouldn’t have to worry where his youngest had wandered off to this time.

An extra gust of wind in their sails had them pulling into Cheju’s crowded docks by the time the suns were burning high in the sky. 

Chan spied the  _ Wonderland  _ docked a little further in, but their ship was empty, no sign of life aboard. As usual, it reeked of death and he wondered how many fights Hongjoong and his crew had gotten into since they last met a few months back.

They had always been a little bit more vicious, cutthroat, and bloodthirsty than the average pirate, but it didn’t make them any lesser beings as far as Chan was concerned. He had done more than enough horrible deeds in his own right and it wasn’t up to him to judge someone’s soul once they reached the Underworld, though he could probably do something to make sure all eight of them made it to the skies together one day, put in a good word for them. Maybe he would, just as a fail safe for some friends. With the way they chose to live, it was both likely and unlikely they would meet their end soon, but it was that way with all of them. 

“We’ll be back by sunset, Jisung, look after everything here.” Chan instructed, strapping an extra knife to his side and forgoing his usual cutlass. If a fight did break out, though he hoped there wouldn’t be one, the longer blade would only be a hindrance in the crowded streets and taverns of Cheju. 

“Aye, Captain.” Jisung replied easily.

“If anyone tries to board, you have my permission to stab them.”

“Thanks, hyung.”

“Don’t pick a fight with any other pirate coming in to dock or just passing by.”

“Channie-hyung,” he said, exasperated, “I got it.”

“I know, I know,” he reassured him quickly, “We’ll be back soon.”

“Sunset, right, you said that earlier.”

“Behave.” Chan said finally, trapping the younger a tight squeeze, “I’ll bring back some food for you.”

“Hyung!” Changbin called, already crossing the gangplank as he eyed the worker rushing to collect their docking fee. “Come on, it’s starting to get busy.”

He nodded, patting Jisung’s shoulder one last time before joining his Bind and flipped a gold coin at the dock worker as they passed. 

“Stay close.” Chan muttered low, sensing more than a few lives nearing their end as they entered the main streets of Cheju, more than usual for a regular afternoon in perhaps the most dangerous place in the world.

They ducked through the crowds, Changbin at one point latching onto Chan’s wrist to keep from being separated. He quickly laced their fingers together and pulled them into the closest tavern he could find. 

Not his wisest choice as there was an outright brawl happening and Chan muttered a quick prayer for the poor soul stuck in the middle that he could see death looming over, ready to strike and steal, before he and Changbin were back on the streets.

The next one wasn’t much better and Chan had to duck to avoid a thrown glass bottle flying their way almost as soon as he stepped inside. Then, they were on the run again and he was still pulling Changbin along, more desperate now after his quartermaster took offense to what he likely deemed an attack on his captain’s life and nearly joining the fight himself in revenge before Chan yanked him out of the tavern, which was ironic because he had originally thought he would be pulling his first mate out of a fight, not his quartermaster.

“What, is there some new drug making people go crazy going around?” Changbin gasped.

Chan shook his head. They had ducked into a relatively quiet side alley to catch their breaths, “Not drugs. Hongjoong.” He replied, chest heaving. It was not a great day to figure out that angry, fight driven drunks made for good chasers. 

“Oh, damn, of course.” He muttered, stringing along a few extra curses, “How the fuck do they even survive if they’re causing this type of chaos everywhere they go?”

“Beats me.” Chan said, knowing that the mere presence of the  _ Wonderland _ ’s captain was enough to stir up even the mildest pacifist to draw a sword. 

“All of you half-gods,” Changbin grouched, “Always having the weirdest shit going on around you. My Saints would never.”

“Yes, because you’re the shining example of peace as long as we disregard how I just dragged your ass out of a bar fight.” He replied, no real bite behind his words.

“Consider it disregarded.”

“That’s not how that works.”

“Hyung,” he said, staring at Chan seriously, “And I say this with all the respect you deserve, but I literally do not care.”

“Fine, fine,” he sighed, “You’re still alive, I’m still alive, Jisung’s still alive as far as we know so that’s all of the important bases covered, but we still have a ship full of stolen goods to sell.” 

Changbin poked his head out from their hiding spot, “Crowds are a bit thinner now and there’s no one nearby that looks angry enough to punch us. I think we’re good to go.” He said, reaching behind him blindly for Chan, finally grabbing his hand and they were on the streets again.

It was their fifth stop before Chan finally found a decent enough buyer. The third had been too close to the other two and another fight was going on inside that wouldn’t be ending any time soon, and the fourth had seemed promising enough at first until someone tried to claim that sugar wasn’t that valuable anymore, trying to trick Chan into selling it for less than half its worth. 

“We’ve got some time until the buyer expects us to transfer the goods from our ship to theirs.” He said to Changbin, pushing a heavy sack of gold coins into his quartermaster’s hands, “Buy light, we can restock in Silla if we need to. We’ll split the leftover gold.” And with a nod, the spirit slipped out the door and was gone. 

Chan settled himself at the bar, ordering a drink and for a few sandwiches to be packed for him to take back to Jisung, and waited.

It didn’t take long for the crew of the  _ Wonderland  _ to find this spot.

From what Chan could tell, most of the tavern’s current occupants had been human or half-human before the eight boys of one of the most feared pirate crews out there entered, bringing their power and energy with them. As far as he remembered, there wasn’t one member of Hongjoong’s crew that didn’t have at least a little bit of magic in his blood.

It was one of the few groups out there that Chan was only slightly wary of facing in a fight, for several reasons. One of them, Yeosang, was a forest faerie, more than capable of capsizing a ship on his own by breaking up the wood it was made of. The ship’s eldest member and Hongjoong’s first mate Seonghwa was a fire faerie, perhaps one of the most dangerous beings out there. Even more was that Changbin’s friend Wooyoung was a full-blooded spirit, his existence being rare in itself.

Combined as a crew, they were an overwhelming combination of strength, intelligence, and unpredictability. That didn’t even include the fact that they were captained by the son of Koenegitto, the god of war. 

“You’ve got quite a bit of blood on your hands, Captain Bang.” Hongjoong greeted, sliding onto the barstool to his left as his crew dispersed into separate areas of the tavern behind them.

Chan gave it fifteen minutes max before a fight broke out.

“And you and your crew won’t be meeting your ends any time soon, Captain Kim.” He replied, pinpointing each boy’s rather lively soul nearly bouncing with energy.

The other half-god smiled, bumping his shoulder against Chan’s, friendly, “It’s good to see you again, Chan-hyung. How are your kids?”

He smiled fondly, “Trouble as usual.”

“Tell me about it.” He groaned, turning around, likely to count heads.

Chan almost laughed, “I think Seonghwa has them all covered, Hongjoong-ah.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” he sighed, “My Bind usually does.”

“Oh?” That was interesting, “Didn’t know you were Bound.”

Hongjoong shrugged, apparently trusting Chan enough, “My father did it a few months ago and you have no idea how many times it’s already come in handy. I’m Bound to Seonghwa, Yunho and Mingi are Bound, and so are Wooyoung and San. I’m trying to convince Yeosang and Jongho to do it as well but not much luck there yet.” He quirked an eyebrow at him inquisitively, “Thought you would already know that. You had access to inside information last I remembered.”

Chan shook his head, laughing ruefully, “Not my exact domain and besides, if it were, I wouldn’t still be trying to find my first mate’s Bind. My own is somewhere in Cheju’s markets. Where are you sailing next?” He asked.

“North.” He replied, pausing to order a drink from the bartender, “Buyeo. We’re treasure hunting. You?” 

“Silla. Not sure after that, my crew and I ran into something unexpected.”

Hongjoong shook his head, “I’d avoid that entire continent if I were you, not just Silla. Something about it, I don’t know,” He said, frowning, “But a fight is headed that way soon, maybe even a war but I don’t know who in the world the Sillans would try and fight. They already got rid of Gaya and Baekje, and unless they’re going for Buyeo, they’re looking to go at Koguryeo again.”

Chan bit his lip, deep in thought, “My crew and I took down a Koguryeon ship headed south a few days ago.”

The other captain glanced at him sharply from the corner of his eye, “Didn’t think the two were friendly enough to trade.”

“They’re not, weren’t any trade goods on it.” He laughed once, and he knew he could trust Hongjoong, plus, he had the right to know, “They had a half-god aboard.”

“A what?”

“I know.” Chan nodded, “I have him now, Jisung’s watching over him and the ship.”

“What’s a human ship doing sailing a half-god south to the faeries?” Hongjoong asked in disbelief.

“I don’t know, I just knew I couldn’t leave him, you know?”

He nodded sympathetically and Chan knew the other was likely well acquainted with his own worldly intuition. If he had to guess, it was probably what made him suddenly turn sharply in the direction of one of his crew members who was rising from his seat, fists clenched like he was ready to throw a punch.

If Chan could gauge whether or not a fight would go in his favor based on who would die, Hongjoong could sense a fight brewing before it even started.

“Hey! Jeong Yunho, sit down!” He scolded.

Chan watched the half fire faerie slowly lower himself into his chair, still glaring daggers across their table at a human who was sitting back and looking rather smug. 

“Hyung, he was trying to say shit about Mingi.” Yunho argued and the half-spirit next to him, Mingi, rolled his eyes fondly. 

“You can gut him in a few minutes.” Hongjoong promised, “Just let me talk to Chan for a little bit longer.” 

Chan hid his grin in his drink, the other intended to make good on that promise: he could see death’s shadow fall over the human. He wouldn’t be living for much longer. It didn’t seem that serious, if Mingi’s reaction said anything, but Hongjoong likely didn’t enjoy anyone insulting a member of his crew and revenge would be swift and brutal.

He turned back to Chan with a sigh, “Have you even been to Koguryeo lately?”

“Just raided their entire eastern coast.” He nodded.

“And you had no idea there was another half-god there?” Hongjoong asked, keeping his voice low, “I haven’t been there in years, not since we sailed past it from Buyeo after picking up Wooyoung and Mingi.”

Chan shook his head, about to reply but a new voice cut him off.

“You two over there talkin’ about Koguryeo?”

He glanced to his right at a group of pirates sitting together, eyeing him and Hongjoong. They were human, as far as he could tell, their ears rounded and nothing in their faces that hinted towards a magical bloodline, spirit or godly.

“What about it?” Chan asked, rightfully suspicious. He didn’t appreciate eavesdroppers. 

“Oh nothing.” His friend replied, shrugging, “Just been some weird shit going on there this past week from what I heard.”

“I heard the king was trying to kill his sons.” Another said.

“Bullshit, it was the younger son trying to kill his brother and take the throne for himself.”

“You’re both wrong,” one woman sneered, dark red hair pushed underneath a black bandana, “The oldest prince committed suicide. Stabbed himself right in the stomach but he and his brother both dropped dead.”

Her words were met with loud objection, and undoubtedly with the added volatile presence of a half-god of war fueling it, the argument was set to blow over into a full fight very soon with several members of the  _ Wonderland  _ jumped to their feet as well. If anyone noticed Yunho reaching for the knife at his waist, glaring at the same human from earlier, they didn’t say anything to stop him.

“Saw that one coming.” Hongjoong sighed, leaving behind his half-finished drink as he motioned for his crew to leave the tavern, “Back to the ship, we’ve caused enough trouble for one night. Yunho, leave him unless Mingi wants you to kill him, then go ahead.”

Chan heard Mingi laugh behind him as he shoved Jisung’s meal into the bag at his side and joined the others in their path for the door. It wasn’t worth getting into a fight over human politics, but the woman’s words played over and over again in his mind. 

He was about to pass the threshold of the door back into the streets when a startled scream made him pause. Chan knew death was looming in the tavern but when he turned, he could see the human that had insulted Mingi lying dead on the floor, his soul seeping from him into the Underworld below, but from what Chan could see, the man didn’t have any apparent injuries. No cuts, stabs, bruises, or bleeding to indicate murder. He had simply fallen over, dead.

Chan would have chalked it up to inopportune natural causes, but as soon as he stepped back onto the cobblestone streets of Cheju, he could sense more deaths sweeping in around him and quickly. In just a few seconds, at least three people in his sights had fallen to the ground, dead, with more beyond his line of sight dropping just as quickly. 

“That you?” Hongjoong called from up ahead where he was gathered with his crew around him.

Chan shook his head, joining them “Nothing I’m doing, nothing I can do. You’re all fine for now but this is sudden.”

“Let’s get out of here.” Seonghwa muttered, herding them all in the direction of the docks. 

“You just sold some stuff, right?” Hongjoong asked, falling in step beside Chan, “We’ll help you move it and then we can all leave. Besides, I want to see that half-god.”

Chan nodded; he had already expected Hongjoong to ask. 

A few more dropped dead in the streets as they passed by, all of them wary and still, Chan had no idea why. He just hoped Changbin had made it back to the ship already, he didn’t want either of his brothers alone right now.

They reached the docks and Chan located the buyer and his ship. He spied Changbin rushing up towards them, but all he did was shove a few bundles in Chan’s arms before running and tackling Wooyoung almost into the ocean in excitement. 

Only when his boys and the  _ Wonderland  _ crew were busy transferring goods from the Levanter’s hold to the buyer’s ship did he motion for Hongjoong to join him below deck.

“You said you had a half-god, you did not say that he was dead.” Hongjoong squawked. 

“He’s Bound,” Chan said quickly, almost apologetic.

“It’s like you attract the dead or something.” He wondered aloud, still shaking his head in disbelief, “How’d he die?”

“Stab wound, right in his stomach.” Chan replied, remembering the red-haired woman at the tavern.

“So, again, the Koguryeons are sending a Bound half-god in the direction of their enemies, the Sillans. Make it make sense.”

Chan snorted, “As if I could.”

“Any idea who he could be?”

He thought for a moment, watching his stranger, “Might have an idea.”

“Hyung!”

“Hongjoong-hyung!” A muffled voice above deck called.

Hongjoong glanced up, “San, Jongho. Coming!” He yelled and Chan led them above deck, but not before stopping by the near empty hold to press two bags of sugar into the other captain’s hands and his eyes lit up, grinning his thanks.

“You’re still going to Silla?” He asked as they returned above deck.

Chan nodded, “Yeah, if there’s as big of a fight coming there as you say, there’s someone we need to warn or get out of there, whichever he decides.” Though, the more he thought about it, the more this trip unsettled him. He could still feel more and more deaths piling up around him. 

“Be safe.” Hongjoong warned as Chan pulled him into a brief hug.

He nodded, “You too.”

The two crews quickly said their goodbyes as they unhitched their respective ships, promising to meet up again soon and then they were each headed back into the open seas, the  _ Wonderland  _ turning north as the  _ Levanter  _ continued south. 

“Whoa!” Jisung exclaimed, sifting through the bundles of new supplies, “Hyung look at this!” He said, shoving a few small pots of coloring in his hands.

“Binnie, what did you buy?” Chan laughed, turning them over in his hands, “I said get supplies, what is this?”

“Hair dye!” He replied excitedly, “Come on, hyung, look how cool it is!”

Chan shook his head fondly at the myriad of colors. It wouldn’t be the first time any of them dyed their hair and Jisung was already diving for a golden color, tossing another to Changbin but he couldn’t see which one.

“Later.” He promised, slipping a small pot filled with silver in his pocket.

“Hyung, what was with all the people suddenly dropping dead in the streets.” Changbin called once they were far enough out, quickly explaining to Jisung at the faerie’s confused squeak.

Chan shook his head, “I don’t know why but it was weird. I knew there would be people dying, but every single one of those were completely unexpected.” He thought for a minute, “Changbin, do you mind if we make a quick detour.”

The spirit shrugged, “No, let’s go.”

“Thanks,” he smiled gratefully, “We’ll go to Silla right after, I promise, but we need to be quick. Hongjoong is afraid a big fight is brewing.”

Jisung whistled, “That’s saying something, there’s not many fights that crew would avoid.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Chan sighed.

“Where do you want to go now, hyung?” Changbin prompted.

“Right.” He remembered, “I need to pay my father a visit, I think. Cheju didn’t sit well with me.”

His Bind nodded warily and he added quickly: “Just me, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Then to Silla right after.”

“Fine, cool, thanks.” He sighed, relieved almost.

Chan nodded once before taking the helm, their sails filling with Jisung’s wind as Changbin readjusting the ship’s rigging, and they were off again.

“Set sails for the Underworld.”

* * *

Hyunjin woke up with a start. 

He gasped, feeling like he had just woken up from a long, horrible dream, but the sharp sting in his stomach proved him wrong; he was very much alive.

Lifting up the hem of a shirt that didn’t belong to him, he could see a nearly healed cut in his stomach, and the memories came rushing back. 

Seungmin. His father. The fight. The crown. The garden.

He choked on his own breath, remembering: he had died, and it hadn’t just been his death; he had killed himself. 

But he wasn’t dead. He was right here, in shock but breathing, alive. But, if he was alive, did that mean Seungmin was dead?

He had to find him.

But he had no idea where he was. His body was swaying and trapped inside a swath of cloth—a hammock. Fighting, he finally tumbled out of it, bare feet hitting wood flooring. As he landed, he heard a soft clinking sound and his hand flew to his right pocket.

The keys.

Somehow, through all of this, he still had them, but he couldn’t think about them right now.

The floor rocked beneath him and he nearly fell. 

“A ship?” He muttered aloud, turning in the room, his eyes falling on a trio of hammocks hanging on the other side of the room, two of which were occupied. He crept closer, careful to not fall and wake them.

He clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle his gasp. 

One was blond, handsome with full cheeks but still defined jawline, but that’s not what surprised Hyunjin: it was his ears. The ends formed delicate points peaking just above his hair. 

He was a faerie. 

The other didn’t seem to be faerie with his soft rounded ears and dark brown hair, but there was still something about his angular face that just wasn’t quite human and he couldn’t tell what it was.

Other than the hammocks, the only other piece of furniture in the room was a writing desk shoved in the corner with a bucket sitting next to it. The rest of the room was baren with no windows, only the sound of something running along the walls.

Hyunjin quietly eased the door open and slipped out of the room, sighing in relief. He still didn’t know where he was, but this was a start.

Every room he could find was nearly empty with only a few barrels, buckets, boxes, and bundles strewn about, but he soon spotted a staircase leading up.

He ascended slowly, still wary, but found himself standing alone on the deck of a ship. It was nighttime and he could see the single moon peeking out from the clouds, but for once, that wasn’t his biggest issue.

He was on a ship in the middle of the ocean with strangers and no idea where he was going or what happened to him or his brother. 

“Shit.” He breathed, turning, hoping in vain to find Seungmin or some way out of this, but there was nothing, but not no one.

“Hello.”

The voice startled him and he nearly fell over with a cry.

Standing above him on an elevated level of the ship’s deck was another boy, this one with a soft, kind dimpled smile and a head full of silver curls. 

The boy smiled apologetically, “Sorry to startle you.”

“Who are you?” Hyunjin asked, willing his voice to remain steady.

“Of course,” he nodded, “My name is Bang Chan, I’m the captain of this ship. Welcome aboard the  _ Levanter _ , Your Highness.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo thoughts? What do you think of ATEEZ? I'm not completely familiar with their personalities like I am Stray Kids and I asked some ATINY moots on twitter about them so I hope it was okay! If you have an questions, feel free to comment. 
> 
> vai's unofficial chapter title: "hongjoong and the chaos brigade"
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Stay safe, love you lots, see you next week! <3


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